


Gun Running Fun Running

by RoofPsycho



Series: Project: Aftermath [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Military, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Universe, Post-Apocalypse, firearms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:47:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23124979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoofPsycho/pseuds/RoofPsycho
Summary: Days after a valentines day surprise goes wrong the gang reluctantly gets back to work. After an intense fire fight and a false flag op, Shep and Lu have another go at it.
Relationships: Shep and Lu
Series: Project: Aftermath [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662235
Kudos: 2





	Gun Running Fun Running

Project Aftermath:  
Gun Running Fun Running  
Chapter 1: Ladies' Night.  
It’s around one-thirty in the afternoon, February sixteenth. A couple of days after Lucy and Shep’s trip to Mortar-City. They haven’t said that much to each other since they got back. It’s been a busy two days. Shep’s been training, Lucy’s been working with Selena on odd jobs, and Blake and Caleb have been arguing non-stop. Busy bees, all of them. Leon and Shep are out at the old Coal-Ton Kill House at the end of town. Mainly doing some walking fire drills at the stationary rotting wood targets. They quickly returned to the bench to load magazines and such. Shooting the shit like the old days.  
“I still can’t believe they gave you an AK-104 while I’m still stuck with this damn SKS,” Shep said, taking his ear protection off, letting them hang off his neck, practically eye humping Leon’s Kalashnikov.  
“They gave you that Tapco stock and promag conversion kit. That’s basically the same.” Leon said, dropping all his empty magazines on the table, the mix of polymer and steel feeding devices sliding around on the bench as he dumped out his bag.  
Shep didn’t dare entertain the idea of turning the now ancient wood and steel semi-automatic carbine into a giant polymer abortion that you’d find in a redneck bubba’s basement. Shep wasn’t a purist by any means but a line had to be drawn somewhere. He wanted a legitimate rifle worthy of the millennial warfighter.  
“It ain’t the same. And I’m not gonna desecrate what is now basically an antique. I’ve been saving for a new rifle anyway. Head back out to Mortar-City and grab one from that Bram guy. Maybe.” He shrugged, his thick curly hair bouncing off his broad shoulders.  
“Speaking of Mortar City. How’d that go?” Leon asked, eager to know how his trip went with Lucille, leaning on the bench with a curious and cocky grin.  
“Huh? Oh, you mean that one trip. Really uneventful, to be honest.” Shep said, turning away from Leon, eyes locked to the earth.  
“Are you sure? Come on, spill it.”  
“Spill what? Nothing happened. We did some activities. Not much else to say.” Shep rebuked. Keeping his eyes downrange.  
“Activities, huh? Physical activities?”  
“There was a kill house event. Not much else that’s physically demanding, I suppose.” Shep shrugged again, sliding old steel ammo onto a rusted stripper clip.  
Leon sighs in frustration, Shep’s density. “Alright. Let’s be blunt! Did you fuck or what?”  
“NO!” Shep shouted. Absolutely disgusted at Leon’s question.  
“Uh-Huh.”  
“We didn’t do anything like that. We’re just friends. And it’s prolly gonna stay that way, dude.” Shep said, reloading his Rex and shoving it back into his holster.  
“Come on, give-"

“Drop it. Okay? Damn. I’m gonna head back to the caves. I gotta finish fucking with that COFDM. I’ll see you around.” Shep sighed, rounding up his gear before he trotted back up to the CW caves.  
Leon shrugged and continued to do pistol drills, shaking the snow off his faux cowboy hat in annoyance. 

Shep lied through his teeth to Leon. Lucy had confessed her feelings towards Shep, her meat-headed crush. Shep very much reciprocated those feelings and wanted to be much more than friends, taking their relationship a step further. But when both parties’ libido is like that of rabbits, you get impatient after seven months of and rush into things. The kind of things that end in leg cramps, headaches, and disappointment when you haven’t bumped uglies with someone in several years. Since then they’ve been silent towards one another. Shep tried to reassure her that there would be other nights, but Lucy brushed it off. Wanting that night to be the night, letting her expectations get the better of her. 

Meanwhile, Lucy and Selena are chilling out in the lounge, watching dusty DVDs of old American sitcoms. Discussing plans for the night, another odd job. This one was more lucrative than usual.  
The lounge was illuminated by a handful of energy-efficient bulbs and old Halloween decorations to add to some life to the place. It had an old perforated ping pong table, along with a Pre-Armageddon game console and an Epsilon flat screen.  
“So. It seems we’re short an extra person for this job.” Selena said. Picking apart her notes on her Android.  
“We have Patty,” Lucy said, boots kicked up on the coffee table, attempting to manage the cables on her Fast MT.  
“We need a fourth. Blake won’t bite and Blaine’s busy with the doc.” Sel said, reclining back on the couch.  
“Blake is very particular about who he lets go on odd jobs like this. We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile. Still can’t believe he’s letting us do something as risky as this.”  
“Yeah. Had to come up with this elaborate bullshit cover-up, because he was that worried about it being traced back to us.” Lucy said, setting her helmet on the table and turning toward Selena.  
“Think they’ll buy it?” Selena asked, thinking back to all the failed false flag operations carried out by SOCOM in the 2020s.  
The hair braided intelligence officer remembered the op to worsen tensions between Al-Assad and the Russian Federation which resulted in an international incident and a firefight between US Tier 1 assets and Russian Special Operations groups. Which resulted in the loss of her hand. The uncomfortable memory causing her to clutch her cyber-prosthetic hand, curling her fingers tightly.  
Lucy shrugged. “Don’t know. But it does give me an excuse to wear my face.”  
“I would wear a mask if I was you, Lu.” She ran her fingers in  
“Come on. We never get to do this anymore.” Lucy groaned. Standing to her feet.  
“I thought you hated this kinda work, Lu!” She teased.  
“You have to be passionate about what you do. At least have some fun with it.” Lucy said. “Now come on. Patty’s down in the motor pool doing last-minute work on that technical. Make sure it’s all loaded and good to go.” Lucy said, leaving her jacket on the couch.  
“I’m still iffy on that MaDeuce. Patty says she fixed it but… I’m still worried about that damn feed tray.”  
“Eh? I’m not too worried about it. We have that LW-AMG so I’m not worried. It may not be a car killer, but at least we will be ready incase it goes down. 

The two walked out of the lounge and started to head downstairs to the motor-pool, passing by the armory and dorms. The halls warmly lit with heavy-duty industrial light fixtures, bolted securely to the craggily cave walls. With heavy-duty orange wire linking them all, helping to illuminate their cozy hamlet. It sure has come a long way in the past month and a half. From a damp shithole worthy of only the lowliest troglodytes to a humble abode with all the amenities one could ever need. A small gym, multiple showers, and toiletries, a well-stocked kitchen and armory, a lounge with a television and a handful of small activities, their motor-pool, and a dorm for everyone. Home sweet home.  
Shep was currently heading upstairs to his quarters to work on that busted up transmitter. He passed by Lucille and Selena on his way up, afraid to make eye contact with her let alone talk to her. With these narrow stairwells, it’s hard to pass by people without bumping bellies or asking whether you pass them the ass or the crotch when you squeeze by them. The rough cave walls didn’t help either when they snag on clothes and rigs, which is bound to happen when everyone is dressed for the second American revolution, carrying their weight in gear. Making the confrontation even more awkward than usual.  
“Hey, Lu.” Shep sighed,  
“Hey, Shep.”  
He put a bit of pep in his step as he moved past the two, Selena and Lucy strolled past him. Selena’s eyes glaring at Lu as they trotted down the stairs in awkward  
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume Mortar City was a bust, wasn’t it?” Selena asked, a touch concerned for Lucy.  
“Eh… Not exactly, Sel. So, I got him all alone. Like you said, told him how I felt.”  
“Go on.”  
“He reciprocated.” She said curtly, blushing slightly.  
“That’s good. So, what’s with the awkward ‘heys’?” Selena asked.  
“Awkward? What could you possibly be talking about?”  
“Bitch, please. That was so awkward that I plan on drinking that memory away tonight!” Selena teased, throwing her braided ponytail over her shoulder.  
“Alright, fine. You don’t have to be an ass about it. So, we kind of eh… Rushed… into… things. It wasn’t the night I had hoped it would be.” She mumbled, lowering her head in embarrassment.  
“Ooh… Wow. That must’ve been one awkward car ride back, huh?”  
“Shut up!”  
“So what? He’s not the first two-pump chump you’ve been with.” She laughed, absolutely laying into Lucy at this point.  
“Ew! It wasn’t like that! It was a combination of things. Look, I just want to get this shit over with it. I’ll shoot the shit with you about bedroom escapades later, alright?!”  
“Relax, Vickers. I’m just giving you shit. You know how it is around here.”  
Lucy let out another annoyed sigh, rubbing her temple in frustration. 

Shep reached his under-furnished dorm, with only a hammock hanging from the ceiling with a couple blankets and pillows as his bunk, a bag with spare clothes, mementos, and a workbench covered in various tools and gutted electronics.  
It isn’t much right now, but it’s home, albeit a tad depressing. He plops down at his desk with a defeated sigh, eyeballing the disemboweled COFDM transmitter.  
He started picking at it and peeling apart the rotting wire and tossing it in the scraps bucket next to him. He slumped over in his desk, cupping his head in his hands and rubbing his temples.  
“Ugh. Screw this. I’m gonna conk out. I’ll deal with this later, Blake can wait.” He hissed. Kicking his boots off and hopping into his cot. Dozing off for a few hours.  
Patty was currently cleaning and lubricating a Browning M2 machine gun for their side job. Other members of Cemetery Wind are currently tending to other tasks, cleaning, small engine repair, etc. Lucille and Selena stroll up to patty as she takes a break from the cleaning and maintenance.  
“Well, well, well. Finally, gonna help me with these darn fixings, aren’tcha now?” She said in her usual thick northern accent.  
“Hey! We’ve helped before! We’ve been pulling our wait on this op!”  
“No, we haven’t. All we did was pay some intel broker and talk to Blake.” Lucy insisted.  
“What eva. You track down that extra fella we need, yea?” Patty asked.  
“No. Blake says he needs most everyone here this week. That and everyone else says it’s a waste of time. Or that they have better things to do.” Lucy said.  
“Jeez. Buncha lazy bastards, aren’t they?” The tanky assualter chuckled. “What about that lanky cyborg boy, eh?”  
“Which one?” Lu asked.  
“I think she means that twink who’s fuckin’ the new deputy or sheriff or whatever,” Selena replied.  
“Oh, that twink. Yeah no. Blake is still pissed because of an incident that happened in Denver.”  
“A bit outta the loop on that one, I am. Fill me in.” Patty asked.  
“Well, let’s say it’s why he has those legs of his.”  
“Right… So, who’s our fourth shooter? Ooh, what about that Shep guy, huh? He’s probably itchin’ fer somethin’ to do, all he does is pick apart shredded electronics. Poor bastard.” The Minnesotan Marine chortled.  
“I’m not so sure he’s a good pick,” Lucy said with a touch of hesitance in her voice.  
“I think he’s probably our best pick, Vickers.” Said their resident robin sage expert.  
“I just don’t think…”  
“What’s the deal, Lu? Ya pretty much gave him the Vickers seal of approval, ya did!” Patty exclaimed.  
“It-Never mind. Let’s get this Madeuce mounted and do another gear check. Make sure we’re good to go before nightfall. We’ll ask him after that, alright?” Lucy said, grabbing an impact-gun and linking it to the air compressor.  
Their burly gunner started putting the feed tray back together and slapping it back on the M2, she picked it up and carted it over to the technical which had been adorned in various raider insignias and borderline Killdozer level armor.  
They spend the rest of the afternoon, tinkering the technical, and checking their gear. Making sure their plate carriers are set up properly, their weapons are clean and functional, and that their night vision and helmets are set up accordingly.  
A few hours pass, the sky starts to darken, and they were about ready to go. They trotted upstairs to the CW dorms to wake Shep up and fill him in the last minute. That is if he is eager to go. They gave a quick knock on his door before barging in while in full loadouts.  
“Hey, Shep!” Sel shouted.  
He quickly sat up in his hammock, rubbing his eyes, wondering why they’ve decided to barge right in and bother him. He looked up at them, they were all decked out in body armor and tactical gear, wearing various masks with skulls and flames on them, real mall ninja type shit. Except for Lucy who was wearing corpse make up like she was about to go mosh at a grindcore metal show.  
“Jeez! I’m tryin’ to nap here and you barge in here with suppressed M4’s dressed for the motherfuckin’ boogaloo. What’ya want?” Shep groaned.  
“Ladies Night… Sort of.” Selena said, flicking the zipper on her windbreaker idly.  
“If it’s ladies’ night then why are you in here? If it’s about the ponytail, it’s stayin’!” Shep asked, more and more annoyed.  
“Just tell him, quit beatin’ around the bush. I ain’t got all night!” Patty yelled.  
“We’re hijacking a weapons shipment and we need a fourth shooter. You in?” Selena asked.  
“What’s in it for me?”  
“New rig, and a small cut of whatever we can find on the shipment. As well as a cut when we sell it. Sound good?”  
Shep agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly. He can’t pass up a much-needed upgrade, plus he wanted to get in on more lucrative Cemetery Wind activities. Beats making IED’s and working on old radios. He thought to himself. He sat up and grabbed his boots, lacing them up with speed.  
“So, when are you folks headed out?” Shep asked.  
“Within the hour. We have to set up an ambush point in the urban badlands.” Lucy said, curt as ever.  
“Within the hour?! And you waited till now to ask me?” Shep exclaimed.  
“You were a last pick, in all honesty. Not that we didn’t think you couldn’t do it. Just that…”  
“There’s literally over two dozen former SOF in this cave. Compared to you who’s had little to no experience doing this.” Selena interjected, cutting Lucy off.  
“I suppose that’s true. But like, why didn’t any of these pipe hitters wanna join up with you?” Shep asked.  
“Cause these folks think this kinda work is beneath em, they do.” Patty declared.  
“We’ve all done horrible things. But the second doing what they’ve been paid to do for years becomes a side job they don’t want anything to do with it.” Lucy sighed, lighting up a cigarette in annoyance.  
“Come on. Gear’s in the truck, we’ll fill you in on the way.” Selena commanded.  
“Right. So, where’s the ambush taking place?” Shep asked, following the trio out of the dorms.  
“The map we bought says they’re heading through Taos. Over the Rio Grande.” Lucy said.  
“Bit of a drive, ain’t it?”  
“Not far.”  
Shep shrugged, as usual, continuing their descent to the motor pool, passing by other members of CW, armed with only handguns and blunt objects, who are either running errands through the caves or doing the rounds. Each of the ones that passed them shook their heads in irritation or sighing in disapproval. Some a bit envious that they couldn’t tag along. Most think that doing something as borderline criminal as this is below someone of their stature, or maybe thinking they’re above all the locals and think they can do right without stooping to their levels. But Lucille, Selena, and Patricia knew better. Even if this war ends, the world won’t ever be the same. The last two hundred years have proven that. Better to learn now while you have a roof over your head. Even if it’s more hazardous to-your health than you would like. Faith No More put it best when they said ‘Oh, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it.’  
They drop by the motor-pool, filled with vehicles coming back from sorties and other CW members who were enjoying a day off. Bustling with activity. Patty and Selena sprint over to the technical, pouring over the gear they have stashed in the back seat.  
“Hey! Make sure the Gustaf and the LAW Rocket are in there!” Lucy shouted.  
“Yea, yeah. They’re in there. I really don’t see why we need both.” Patty argued.  
“Because we’re only allowed so many HEP’s. I don’t want to fuck this up in case I miss. Or if there’s more than one guard car.” Lucy insisted.  
“Plus, I’m still not sold that the Madeuce is gonna last the full mile. We really need to let an armorer look at this. Speaking of, did you load it with ball or SLAP rounds?” Selena asked.  
“Just ball tracer, yeah. Should be able to run through that engine block, for sure!” Patty said, climbing up the back and leaning over the machine gun. Giving it a good slap like a used car salesman.  
“Woah, Woah, Woah! I thought you said we were going over a bridge! Aren’t rockets unsafe? That thing is prolly ancient by now!” Shep shouted. Concerned that everyone involved might collapse into the Rio Grande.  
“Fun fact. The Epsilon restored it for the sake of ground transport. It used to be patrolled until the Sanguila activity stepped up in that region. Now it’s manned by a handful of automated Phalanx guns and motion sensors.” Selena explained.  
“Wait, if that’s the case. What’s to stop them from lighting us and these guys up?” Shep asked, tightening his vest at the thought of becoming fertilizer.  
“No worries. They’re programmed to kill mutants. They’re not that worried about people these days.” Selena said. “Also put this on.” She said, handing him a Team Wendy Exfil helmet with a black and FDE color, along with side armor and a set of NODs affixed to it, a Black AVS rig with empty pouches, and a black balaclava. “Can’t let people know who we are.”  
“Well, ain’t this Gucci?” He laughed. Sliding the vest over his body and clicking the cumberbund.  
Patty tosses Lucy the truck keys, catching them and twirling them on her finger. Everyone hops in, Patty remaining situated on her gun, chilling in the bed of the pickup alongside Shep. Lucy quickly starts the technical and revs the engine to prevent idling. She starts fiddling with the radio, switching past stations until she hears something. Lu twisted the dials for a minute, much to everyone’s annoyance, until she heard the beginning riffs of a Vader track.  
Smiling contently as she adjusted the rearview mirror, catching a good glimpse of her face paint. She quickly sped out of the caves and into the night, tearing up the white powder behind them as they drove out of town. Northbound towards Taos, ready to tag team Iron Moon.  
They passed by a wide variety of old trashed nomad camps outside of Coal-Ton. They avoided most of the abandoned metropolitan and larger towns and cities. Most of the roads were empty, with a few nomad vehicles and camps, as well as roving caravans and convoys, alongside a couple of groups riding horseback with brush guns. The sound of train horns rang through the night as they sped through the decaying, cracked and torn asphalt. The wild west reborn as some would call it.  
Many of the old cities were all dense with organized banditry and organ harvesters, as well as various mutant creatures prowling the streets in the darkness, crawling in and out of every crevice. In the day and when it’s only a small few it’s manageable. But when night falls and you’re dealing with the more dangerous types, it’s horrifying. Most of the time during the daylight you would be dealing with mutated wildlife like hell hogs, ‘yotes, and a new strain of mutated wolves. As well as occasional human mutants, which varied greatly in strains. At night you were dealing with Chupas, feral boys, slags, rogue seekers, ravens, and worst of all, Skinless. Ferocious creatures that are nothing, but vein wrapped muscle and bones like titanium. Sharp as tungsten, both literally and figuratively. They could rhino charge through level V body armor with ease. A truly terrifying foe and proof that humanity as no longer top-dog on the food chain. Though that never stopped humans from killing each other, even now.

Meanwhile…  
“So, who we hittin’?” Shep asked, adjusting the straps on his rig.  
“Iron Moon. How familiar are ya with the various mercenary companies inhabitin’ the once-great united states, anywho?” Patty inquired.  
“I’ve heard names. Ones to steer clear of. That’s about it.”  
“Well, Iron Moon is fairly neutral and can be known to be morally upstanding. Though in recent developments, they’ve had a habit of playing fuck about and find out with groups similar to ours, yeah. So, they ain’t the best folks.”  
“Right. So, is this a retaliation or preemptive strike?”  
“Neither. Notice how we’re all dolled up like some sorta metal show? ‘Specially Lu here with her ish makeup!” Patty chuckled, prompting a quick flip of the bird from Lucy.  
“I dunno, I think it looks pretty good-Er I mean how could I not?” Shep said nervously.  
“Well, they’ve been getting too complacent and big for their britches. Hence why they hijacked an Epsilon depot. So, we offered a deal with our rival ex VeeDeeVee friends. They give us the info; we get the gear off the truck and help start a war with Tommy’s Slaughterhouse and IM. Buncha birds with one stone dontcha know. They wipe out one of the worst mercenary groups, and while they’re busy doing that we can focus on actual ops.”  
“Sounds like Blake isn’t overly fond of this idea nor is everyone else.”  
“Blake only knows half of this. The main goal is to get some operating capital and start running odd jobs. Blake knows that much. He’s not keen on deals with the VDV folks. The bad blood between most of CW and them, Lu prolly knows more.”  
“Right,” Shep muttered nervously, scratching his head through his ski mask. “Anyway… What’s my role in this?”  
“Simple. You’re gonna be hiding with a Mossberg and when we give ya the heads up you’re gonna pepper these boys with buckshot when they start getting’ to close, yea. Think ya can do that?” She asked eagerly.  
“I’m no stranger to a firefight. Still not as seasoned as everyone else. I think I can handle it.” Shep said with a tinge of confidence in his voice.  
“That’s the spirit!” She shouted reassuringly, giving him a kind pat on the back.  
She continued pointing out the nitty-gritty of the plan and their checklist as they passed through the badlands.

Chapter 2: Wet Work Sweat Work.

They powered through the New Mexico Tundra for the better part of an hour, eager to get set up early. Patty seemingly unaffected by the blisteringly cold winds, guess it’s that Minnesotan blood. Shep, on the other hand, is bundled up like wicker on a broom, the poor bastard is Texan at heart and is not used to anything below thirty-two degrees. The temptation to squeeze off a couple of rounds and use the barrel for warmth is very much there.  
They see the bridge overlooking the Rio Grande, it’s changed a lot. It’s lined with thermal posts, most likely there to prevent icing. As well as the automated high caliber turrets along with the towers of the bridge, idly panning the sky for hostile wildlife. It’s dark, except for the slight illumination from the posts. Lucy downshifts into second gear, idly coasting onto the bridge. Taking in the view.  
“When’s the last time Raven checked in on this place?” Lucille wondered, staring at the dead bodies and bones strewn about the bridge alongside the shredded remains of winged beasts who made the fatal mistake of flying too low over the bridge. It’s littered with spent twenty-millimeter autocannon brass; some would consider this a treasure trove.  
Shep peered over the technical, wincing in horror. He made the mistake of looking into the gorge, which had been serving as a mass grave for two centuries. It was filled with cars, skeletons, and well preserved but horribly disfigured corpses. A grim reminder of where he was. He shook it off, remembering he was there to do a job and needed his nerve.  
The gang hopped out of the technical with their rifles slung over their vests, carrying duffle bags loaded with loose magazines, grenades, flares, water, and other ‘essentials.’ Patty and Shep started laying out small metallic barricades, parking the technical sideways over the bridge.  
“I’m gonna go get situated with the forty-mike-mike. Make sure they see the flare. Don’t wanna rocket these folks less we gotta.” Selena said, mounting an M203 grenade launcher to her M4A1.  
“They’re going to get rocketed, Sel.” Lucille snarked, grabbing the law from the bed of the pickup.  
“How long we got till they’re here?” Shep asked. Loading shells of buckshot into his many pockets. Grabbing the Mossberg 930 off the bed of the truck and racking it.  
Lucy rolls her sweater sleeve up, glancing at her analog watch. “Fifteen minutes. Give or take. You ready?”  
He nodded, flicking his night vision down, eyes to the road west.  
Lucy nodded back, head in the same direction. Staring down the same path Shep had been. He sprinted to his position on the bridge. Loading in a spare shell as he sat there waiting. Patty jumped aboard the technical, MaDuece locked and loaded, she brought her sightline to the road, staring down it through a bright green filter. Lucy sat behind one of the quick deploy barricades, peering over it with her NODs. 

After a quarter of an hour passed, a set of bright lights appeared over the horizon, with engines roaring. Selena looked through her binos, it was Iron Moon alright. Insignias and all. Selena loaded a forty-millimeter flare round into her launcher. She stood to her feet and launched a bright red flare that had illuminated most of them in the cold dark night. The truck showed no sign of slowing down, so she hastily locked her tube open, kicking out the spent shell and speedily loading another flare, sending it well in view of the convoy.  
In the cabin of the semi-truck sat two men, the passenger sitting idly with a crudely stamped Mac-10, wire stock pressed against his shoulder. The driver quickly nudged the passenger, grabbing a forty-five from the dashboard, situated next to a faded hula girl with all the paint stripped off.  
“Hey this is truck one, you guys see this shit?” The radio buzzed.  
The driver sighed in annoyance, scooping a pinch of snuff out of his can and jamming it into his lower lip. He quickly snatched the radio as he adjusted his cap.  
“Fuckin’ bandits. When’re these buncha gat’ damn belligerent meatheads gon’ fuck off! How bad are they packin’?” The driver bellowed.  
“Uhh… Can’t see em too good, chief. Only got a glimpse of em.”  
Selena loaded her last flare round and sent it over them. “Just fuckin’ stop already, assholes.” She whispered. Grabbing an explosive round off her belt and shoving it into the tube.  
“I see… They got a fuckin’ HMG! Oh, hell. I think it’s some guys from Tommy’s!!! They got the duds to match!” The lead car blurted into the radio.  
“Tommy’s Slaughterhouse?! We fuckin’ told that wily sombitch’ if he jacks with Iron Moon again, we ain’t holdin’ back!!!” He screamed, angrily racking his Forty-Five on the dash, he quickly spat out his dip and leaned out the window, raising his pistol to the sky and screaming.  
“RAM THESE SONS’A’BITCHES OFF THE BRIDGE!”  
The lead sped towards their roadblock, the roar of the engine redlining echoed through the gorge! The lights flooding the gang, Lucille swiftly stood up and flipped her nods up. She gritted her teeth in anticipation, expanding the tube of her rocket and shouldering it, taking a stance as the redhead flipped the sights up. 

“START LIGHTING IT UP!” Selena yelled, leaning from cover to squeeze off a grenade, the round came a hair off from hitting them, peppering Iron Moon’s technical with a thin layer of shrapnel seasoning. They continued at their outrageous speed, firing blindly at them with submachine guns.  
Lucy squeezed the trigger and launched a HEAT rocket at them, with a fwoosh, it barreled towards them with indiscriminate malice. Lighting up the whole bridge.  
“SHI-…” They were interrupted when the rocket met with their engine block, sending them and their truck up in a fiery blaze. The driver of the semi slammed his brakes, colliding with the burning wreckage of their lead car, sending it into the gorge to join the rest of the unfortunates who landed down there.  
“DAMN! Boys, this ain’t amateur hour!” The semi driver spat into the radio, holstering his forty-five and grabbing an X95 from behind his seat.  
Lucy dropped the spent LAW to the side and ducked behind her barricade, rifle at the ready.  
The two cars which had been following behind the semi, promptly pulled out in front, one with an M60E4 mounted atop aiming towards the truck Patty was one, the next one coming in briskly behind. Offloading security guards armed with Mk18’s. Patty immediately swiveled her fifty towards the rival gunner, she let off a burst trailing up the hood of the gunner car, perforating the engine and radiator. Unfortunately, her gun jammed before she could nail the gunner.  
She yelled and cussed at the M2, slamming the feed tray and beating on the charging handle to no avail. He quickly sat up from cover and returned fire to Patty, causing her to dive to the bed of her truck, she swore again under her breath.  
“Oof. You fuckin’ bastards are workin’ my nerves here, aren’tcha?” She exclaimed, scrambling for the LW-AMG and its belt.  
Shep started firing at the goons running out of their car, causing them to duck back a bit. He started to transition back to the technical, expending his mag tube as he sprinted back. He dove into cover adjacent to Lu, snatching a shell from his pocket and dropping it into the chamber, racking it again.  
“How many?” Lu asked, hunkered down as tight as possible.  
“Uhh… FUCK!” He slouched down again, as rounds from the M60 hit his cover. “A fuckload.”  
“Shit. Patty, are you alright?!” She asked, managing to squeeze off a couple rounds towards the trucks.  
“I’m pinned down that’s for sure. But I ain’t hit!”  
“Was worried. Can you get me the Gustaf?”  
“Hell no! Tryin’ to find the nutsacks for the belt fed. Got it!” She gushed. Patty slapped a pouch onto the AMG and racking that bad boy.  
“Selena! Get another forty out.” Lucy yelled.  
Selena grabbed the last grenade from her belt and slammed it into her M203. She leveled her sight towards the gunner, it landed next to the technical, flattening Iron Moon’s tires and knocking the man on the turret off his equilibrium. Causing him to stumble off his machine gun.  
Patty stood up with her belt-fed, grabbing the recoilless rifle. “Lucy! Gustaf!” She tossed it towards Lu, she picked it up and flipped the backblast port open.  
“Round!” She tossed an HEP round at her, Lucy caught it and slid it into the Gustaf, flipping the safety off.  
Before patty could get her gun level, the gunner returned fire causing patty to duck down again. She raises the muzzle over the barricade and starts sweeping Iron Moon with a hail of gunfire, effectively suppressing them. Lucy took advantage of this opportunity and stood from cover, Carl at the ready she launched the round at the car, rattling the whole bridge and kicking up the snow and dust, clouding everyone’s vision. The crude excuse for a vehicle was rendered into a mangled pile of scrap. Everyone ducked behind cover, the two men in the semi hopped out using the doors as cover. Shep fired at them as they ducked behind the pile of rubble.  
Vickers shouldered her M4, managing to get off a few rounds, grazing the goons running for cover. She moved her reticule to the exposed leg of the passenger, putting a couple of rounds through his knee, causing him to buckle behind to the ground, he cursed in agony as he clutched his leg, ramming an adrenaline syringe into his thigh, Selena started firing at the driver as he was reaching for the keys to the ignition. He sprinted off, reaching for his pistol, firing several rounds at Sel until his 1911 stove-piped, around from Sel’s rifle grazed his calf, he continued to the back of the semi, staggered.  
Patty managed to get her opportunity and quickly propped the belt-fed over the side of the pickup, laying down grazing fire at the goons. The passenger managed to pull himself onto the door, placing his muzzle atop it. Bandit shooting and spraying CW’s cover. Shep hunkered down and attempted to squeeze more rounds into his shotgun. With a final click, the passenger ran dry. He dropped his empty magazine and tried to reach for a fresh one-off his rig which had been sitting in the cabin of the truck.  
“Just fuckin’ stay down why don’tcha?! Walk away and maybe I won’t stomp a mudhole in your asses!” Patty shrieked, continuing to spray the goons, shredding a couple who dared to leave their cover.  
“I’m moving up. Keep me covered! Shep, you’re with me.” Lucy left the Gustaf behind as she moved forward, Shep drew his Rex and stacked up behind her, firing over her head.  
The passenger struggled to get a mag in time for his stamped sheet metal piece of shit, he panicked and grabbed a pipe bomb off his rig, he low crawled until he could get a clear view of Lu and Shep running upon them. He struck a match off his boot and lit the fuse, rolling it towards them. Startling the two.  
“FUCK!” Lucy exclaimed she manages to squeeze a round off and nail the gunner in the glabella, splitting his head wide open, the crimson red of his blood and his gray matter contrasting with the snow on the asphalt. Shep immediately tried to tackle her to cover as the explosive went off, sending a hail of shrapnel and nails all over.  
Shep and Lu were able to get in front of the semi, taking cover from the blast, Shep’s arms wound tightly around Lu. Her rifle dangling haphazardly off her person, clutching her right arm in agony, standing up against the truck with Shep’s help.  
“You alright, Lu?”  
“AAH! Damn it!” She looked down at her arm, it had been sliced up and perforated with nails and various sharp objects. Blood streaming down her hand and pooling her glove, she quickly attempted to yank one of the nails from her hand, resulting in another shooting pain in her arm. 

“HAAH!! FUCK!” She whipped her head up, attempting to reach for a tourniquet on her vest. Shep snatched one off his and started tying it around her bicep, tightening it around her arm. “Ah, this never gets any less painful. I’ll live if that’s what you’re asking. Here, take it.” She tried to maneuver her sling as best she could around her lacerated arm. Handing Shep her rifle, he took it looking a bit confused that she would trust her with her rifle.  
“Are you-…”  
“Yes! I’ll be fine here.” She said, grabbing several magazines and jamming them in his rig, giving him a reaffirming slap on the chest. “Just don’t lose it.”  
Lucy wrestled her Hudson from her belt with her left hand, slumping down in front of the semi. Holding it in her teeth as she jammed a shot of quick clot into her arm.  
Shep reluctantly sprinted towards the burnt-out heap of metal, sliding into cover with Lu’s M4. Selena started to move up with the rest of the team, Patty joining her with her M27 IAR shouldered, leaping out of the pickup. She chucked the Gustaf in the back, along with the spent LAW rocket. Patty and Shep began lobbing rounds at Iron Moon’s goons, trying to find the driver.  
“Come on! What’re ya waiting fer?!! Get those bastards! Don’ let them take our well-earned hardware!” The driver screamed, ducking behind the armored car. Taking potshots at CW with his Micro-Tavor.  
A couple of Iron Moon’s folks charge forward, making a b line for the truck cab, the second one made it to the door, Lucy managed to snake her pistol around a pop a few rounds at them, two nailing him in the chest and another smacking him in the temple. He dropped like a sack of bricks next to the Mac-10 gunner. The other panicked and ran towards the burning car, only to be clapped by Shep and Patty as he crossed, his body falling limp like a ragdoll.  
“Oh, fuck this. I ain’t dyin’ to a buncha psychos in corpse makeup. Let’s cut our losses.” One of the goons exclaimed, trying to get into his car.  
“Yeah, screw this noise. Let’s bail.” Another shouted the remaining goons scrambled for their ride.  
“Where the fuck do you pussies think yer’ going?! Get the fuck over there and waste these mongrels!” The Driver shrieked. The remaining goons closed the door on him.  
“Well, if you wanna get your balls sliced off by Slaughterhouse Raiders be my guest. I’ll tell Big Mama of your sacrifice.” He shifted it into gear and did a speedy U-Turn. Leaving the driver behind.  
“NO! Wait, come back here you fuckin’ cowards! SHIT!” He watched them speed off into the west. Standing there defeated. CW let them drive off, letting them believe what this was an attack by Tommy’s Slaughterhouse.  
He turned towards Lucy, Patty, Shep, and Selena. All their weapons aimed at him.  
He quickly tossed his rifle to the side, arms raised in surrender. “Wait, wait! Please don’ kill me, man! Ah-Ah-Ah can tell ya the combo to the trailer! It’s all yer’s! Ah won’t tell no one. Pinky promise!”  
“But that’s what we want ya to do! But first things first. How ‘bout that code, huh?” Patty demanded.  
“Ye-yeah! Four-two-oh-six! So can Ah go now?”  
Selena gestured for Shep to go open the trailer. He nodded and jogged over to the truck, after punching in the numbers to the lock, the doors creaked open, revealing a slew of heavy-duty cases loaded with Sentinel Raven weapons and armor. He climbed up and started popping open cases, it was legit as it looked. Enough gear to supply several rifle companies. He peered out and gave them an ecstatic thumbs-up, grinning ear to ear.  
“Yeah. You’re good to go. But first things first. When you wake up tell Tusker ‘Tommy sends his regards.’” Selena snarked.  
“When ah- What?!” Selena quickly struck him in the face with the butt of her rifle, putting his lights right out.  
“Night night.”  
Lucy slotted her handgun back in her holster, looking down at her arm, the blood drying and crusting around her arm, and tattered sleeve. Wincing at the sight, trying to ignore the pain.  
“Jeez, that looks bad,” Patty observed.  
“Yea, no shit. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” She groaned.  
“We good to bounce?” Shep asked, shutting the doors to the trailer.  
“Yeah. We’re good. Go get in the truck with Vickers and haul ass back to CT. We’ll get this truck back.” Sel said.  
Shep dragged Lu over to the technical, opening the side for her, trying his best to help her in, his help she reluctantly accepted. Shutting the door for her. He jumped in the driver’s seat, the truck still running, he slammed the door and speed off back towards the way they came.  
Lucy slumped back in the car seat, sighing in relief, she looked down at her leg and her sweater, both soaked in blood, all of it hers. “Oh wow, this fucking sucks, hehe.” She chuckled.  
This unnerved Shep a bit, such a casual reaction to an injury like that. This wasn’t Lu’s first rodeo, she was covered in scars, what was another several more? That didn’t stop him from worrying about her. Even though she was the one keeping him grounded most days.  
“That uh… That’s lotta blood, Lu. Are you gonna make it to CT?!” Shep asked, his knuckles turning pale as he death gripped the steering while.  
“Probably. I’ve had worse. Still have all my limbs though. Still stings like a bitch.” 

“Hey, can you do me a favor and keep me awake until we get to Kurt’s?” Lucy requested.  
“Yeah sure. Like, nudge you or?”  
“Talk to me.”  
“Sure, sure! Uuhhh… What do you wanna talk about?”  
“Let’s talk about what happened on V-Day.”  
Shep scratched his neck, flustered. He snatched his helmet and mask off leaving them in the seat between him and Lu.  
“Are you sure this is the best time for that? I mean you’re all messed up and looking like… that.”  
“Come on, Shep. I’m sitting here with nails in my arm and sweat streaks on my corpse face. Humor me, please?”  
He sighed. “Alright. Fine. Shoot.”  
“First, I want to apologize for being distant the past couple days. I know it was a stupid thing to be upset about. It had been awhile… For both of us, and I know that what I feel for you is more than lust. I just…” She pauses, taking her helmet off and letting it roll to the floor.  
Shep sat there like a bump on a log, eyes fixated on the road, dark and empty.  
“It’s been a shit show since I left cryo. Just a day after day of pure hell, wondering where my next meal was going to come from. Fighting and hiding. Non-stop bullshit. I had hoped that maybe someday, I’d find something to make it all worth it. The last couple of months things have been getting so much better and given what you and I had been through… That maybe I should take a chance and pursue that something. You.”  
“Seems kind of odd you’d find that special something in-…”  
Lucy stared at him; the brow furrowed at his attempt to self-depreciate.  
“I- Sorry. Still not used to hearing these things directed at me. Go on.”  
“So, when I finally got the nerve to ask you, and you reciprocated. Then we rushed into things. I was hoping that night would be the night. Like, in all the movies and books you’d see it happen in. But when I cramped up and it ended with you going limp, it felt like that was it? Like that was the best I was going to get. Like every other time in my life, long before all this. I know it’s dumb to be upset by such a thing and it’s really my own fault for hyping it up to be this great big thing. So, you have every right to be mad at me.”  
“Lucy… I was never mad at you. I want this to work too. I really do care about you. More than I wanted to let on. I love you, Lucille.”  
Lucy was awestruck to hear those words, her heart fluttered. She was so flustered she couldn’t bear to look at him. Shep stared at her in worried silence, biting his lip anxiously. Lucille didn’t know what to say, a tear streamed down her cheek, trailing down her face paint. She tossed his helmet to the floor with hers and leaned on him, legs kicked up on the seat as she scooted closer and closer to him. Wrapping her left arm around him like an anaconda, sighing contently as she closed her eyes, nestling into his shoulder, some of her face paint smearing into his coat, but he didn’t mind it, not one bit.  
Shep smiled, leaning his head on hers, gently caressing her back. She couldn’t feel it with her armor on, but she appreciated the gesture.  
Shep tried his best to keep her awake on the long ride back, hard for her not to fall asleep with her resting on him, that and severe blood loss. They spent the trip in comfortable silence, both winding down now that the adrenaline has left their systems. Their eyes fixated on the road, examining all the various wildlife roaming this frozen desert. Admiring some of the unappreciated beauty in the wasteland.  
After about an hour they arrive back at Coal-Ton. Patty, Selena, and the semi-truck still on their way back. They pull back into the Motor-Pool, most of the lights in the garage turned off. Most of CW had gone to bed or went on to enjoy their downtime with a visit to Last Chance or something. Down to a Skeleton crew at this hour.  
Blaine finally got back from the doc’s, a busy and bloody day for him and Kurt. He leans back on the cave wall, sighing in relief as he runs his hands through his hair. He saw the technical pull in. Hauling less than what they went out with it. Shep hops out, quickly jogging to the passenger side.  
“What the hell happened? Where’s Patty and Sel?!” Blaine asked, hands raised in confusion.  
“They’re with the semi, they should be here soon. We got bigger problems, Blaine!” Shep yelled, getting the passenger side door open, getting Lucy out, standing to her feet, barely.  
“It’s not… That bad, in all honesty.” Lucy muttered, lightheaded from the blood loss and standing to fast.  
“Jeez, again, Vickers?” Blaine sighed, running over to give Shep a hand.  
“The pain doesn’t get easier, but the shock sure does.” She chuckled.  
“Was she always like this?” Shep asked, sighing as he and Blaine dragged her upstairs.  
“Well, you know what they say about autistics. Never really worried about actual danger.”  
“Right…”  
“Fuck off, Blaine.”  
“Please, you get more anxious during a gameshow than you do when bullets are flying over your head.”  
They quickly ran upstairs and over the catwalk to Kurt’s office, trying their best to keep her steady with her slung over their arms. Much to her annoyance. They burst into Kurt’s office. Kurt sighing and smiling after a long day’s work, tossing blood-soaked latex gloves in the garbage. His smile quickly broke when he caught a glimpse of Shep and Lu.  
“Ugh… Let me go get washed up. How long has that tourniquet been on?”  
“An hour, hour and a half maybe,” Shep said, time being somewhat lost to him.  
“Go get her on the table! Blaine, do me a favor and get me some coffee, I’ll take care of your jackass teammates.” He walked away mumbling in tired anger, pinching his brow as he walked off to grab wash his hands and grab the sterile gear.  
Shep took her to the back room while Blaine grabbed too Styrofoam cups of black coffee from the beat-up coffee machine, which had been held together with duct tape and baling wire.  
Shep took her into the back room and sat her down. Lucy falling back lazily.  
“Thanks, Shep. I hate to ask but, could you stay here while I get this wing fixed? You don’t have to stay I know you have other things…”  
“I’d quite prefer to stay. I was gonna ask if I could. I know this isn’t your first time with this sort of thing but… Well… I worry.” Shep consoled, gently reaching for her left hand, fingers grazing her gloved palm. She wound her fingers around his, squeezing his hand in a death grip. Grinning ear to ear as she tried to keep right her arm above her head.  
Kurt swiftly walked in the door with a tray of medical equipment, sliding his gloves on, his third sigh of annoyance breaking their perfect little moment.  
“Alright- Christ on a cracker, Lucille. What is that mess on your face? I can only assume it was related to the shenanigans you meatheads got into.” He said, prepping his tools and looking over Lu’s arm. 

Kurt set aside some bandages and tissue adhesive next to his forceps and tweezers. He grabbed a set of cloth scissors and cut away most of her tattered sleeve, tossing the shredded and bloodied rag to the side. He went to grab Lu’s glove to cut it off as well, struggling to cut through the leather on it. Kurt started to clean the wounds with peroxide, removing all the dried blood from her arm. He started gently poking around the larger foreign objects to remove the smaller bits of metal sticking out. Grabbing at them with the tweezers. Lucy sat in awkward silence, her left hand resting on Shep’s thigh slyly. Shep looked up at the ceiling, counting cracks. They didn’t feel right continuing the heart to heart in front of the doc.  
He started getting to work on the larger pieces of metal embedded in her arm. Carefully prodding around them.  
“Jesus, the fact that these didn’t hit bone is appalling. Makes my job easier at least.” He said, tossing all the bloody bits of shrapnel and nails in a nearby tray. “I swear if I cut you open; I’d find a terminator in there!” He laughed continuing to rip bits of metal out of her arm.  
Kurt started applying surgical adhesive to her cuts, causing her to wince harder than usual, the adhesive stinging as he mended her wounds. He quickly but thoroughly bandaged from her elbow to her knuckles, doing a boxer’s tape wrap between her fingers and around knuckles.  
“Here. Take a couple of these. If any pain persists, let me know, yada yada.” Kurt snarked, handing Lucy a couple of painkillers.  
“You don’t hand out bottles of this stuff anymore, doc?” Shep asked, half-joking half curious.  
“Well, that god-damn self-appointed sheriff from CJ says I have to limit. Worried about opioid addictions or something. I can’t stand that self-righteous prick. Hell, I like CW, as much crap as I give ya. Can’t stand Caleb.” Kurt said, tossing his latex gloves in the garbage.  
“Somedays, somedays. I wish I had wasted him back there. Would have saved me some breath.” Lucy giggled.  
“Ha. That’s right, heard you almost pulled a Sicario on him.” Kurt asked, cleaning his tools and washing his hands.  
“Well, I wasn’t actually going to pay a visit to his daughter. Though I’ve never had a problem wasting police.”  
“Jesus, Lu!” Shep shouted, recoiling in mock terror.  
“Hey, when the local police department is hoarding shit during a disaster and refuses to hand out supplies. Sometimes you have to go in there and hold them at gunpoint and make them hand out supplies.”  
“Alright, enough chatter please leave my office before I stop being so polite. It’s late and I have better things to do!” Kurt said, guiding them out with his hands placed firmly on their shoulders. He slammed the door loudly behind them.  
Lucy and Shep peered over the railing on the sky bridge, looking down into the gully as most of the town lights flickered off one by one. Shep sighed tiredly, fiddling with the cumberbund on his plate carrier. Lucy snatched a cigarette from her left pocket, she planted it in her teeth and attempted to light it, a few flicks and nothing but a couple of sparks. She shook her head, annoyed. Shep quickly met her cigarette with a flame from her cigarette, and she took a quick drag and sighed contently.  
“Thanks.” She flicked the ash off her cig into the valley and took another drag. “I’m tired, Shep.” She said haggardly.  
“It’s been a long night,” Shep said, eyes fixated on the horizon.  
Their serene moment was interrupted by the almost deafening sound of a truck horn pulling into the canyon. Lucille wincing in agony and jamming her fingers in her ears.  
“Looks like they’re here,” Shep exclaimed. Relieved they made it back in one piece. 

“That’s good at least…” She sighed, picking her cigarette up off the catwalk. “We should probably go make sure everything is tip-top.”  
“Yeah let’s get this over with. It’s been a long night.” Shep said, stretching and yawning as they began trotting down to the motor-pool.  
“Long night? When we found you, you were nestled up in your bunk at four in the afternoon.” She chuckled.  
“I didn’t get much sleep, had a lot on my…”  
“It’s alright. I’m just teasing. You’re good.”  
“Oh, sorry.”  
She just smiled and gave him a nice reassuring slap on the back. 

They reached the motor-pool, the work-lights affixed to the ceiling flickered on as the door shut behind the semi-truck. Patty and Selena hopped out enthusiastically, Patricia doing a confident fist pump with her mask clenched in her hand, and Selena tossed the truck keys up in the air a couple of times with a degree of cockiness in her stance. Lucy smirked, dropping her cigarette on the ground and snuffed out the embers with her boot. Shep didn’t share their enthusiasm, he was relieved to get out of there in one piece.  
“So now what?” Shep asked, tired as ever.  
“Simple. We wait a little bit for the heat to die off and then I contact our buyers. If we start shipping these things out right away Iron Moon will catch on.” Selena explained, shoving the truck keys in her pocket.  
“I know I agreed to tag along but isn’t running guns and starting a gang war kind of uhh… Unethical for you guys? Especially dignified tier one assets. I’m not gonna try and judge just sayin’!” Shep said a bit mystified at the whole ordeal.  
Sel, Lu, and Patty all shot each other glances, Patty and Selena trying hard not to laugh as they hid their smirks from Shep.  
“Yeah, Ethical… Us.” Patty giggled.  
“Huh?!”  
“No offense. But I thought you knew that most servants of the government have done, quote, ‘unethical’ things in the name of so-called freedom. Especially green-collar staff.” Lucy said, giving her plate a few knocks.  
“I suppose that’s true. But aren’t those the kind of assholes who bitch and moan about everyone being softies or how hard they are? You guys seem pretty chill about premuch everything.”  
“The world’s greatest green collared body stackers are the most content with themselves, Dontcha know? At some point, they waded through so much blood and shit that they just accepted it an’ made peace with who they were, sport.” Patty explained, letting her helmet dangle off her belt.  
“I guess I never really considered that. But still, starting a gang war?”  
“Tommy’s Slaughterhouse has been a thorn in everyone’s side. Better they get wiped out by their rivals.”  
“Besides. The people we’re selling it to will be thoroughly vetted, I promise. Wouldn’t you rather these guns go to disenfranchised locals rather than the many bloodthirsty mercenary companies fill the new frontier?” Sel reassured, closing her eyes and grinning ear to ear as if everything were hunky-dory.

What Sel said didn’t put Shep’s mind at ease at the slightest. He really should be used to the morally gray way of life at this point. Everyone around him had accepted that long before the fall of humanity. Either through years of green colorwork like Selena and Patty, a harsh upbringing like Leon, or perhaps a mix of both like Lucille had. He had contemplated making some sort of argument, but he knew he was just as guilty as the rest. He shrugged as usual.  
“Well, as long as my reward reflects what I went through,” Shep grunted. Currently ingesting the food for thought.  
“Yeah, you’ll get yours when we sort through this haul tomorrow,” Sel said, locking the cabin of the Semi. 

Chapter 3: Hard Night. Last Chance.

“Right. So now what?” Shep asked, idly finger banging Lu’s M4A1, thumbs caressing the groove in the carrier, leaving carbon residue on his thumb.  
“Well, me and Patty were going to Last Chance to celebrate with drinks and eying up some potential bar candy. You’re more than welcome to join. We’re gonna go drop off our gear before we go.” Sel added.  
“Yeah, this plate carrier is chaffin’ the hell out of my tits, I tell ya. Even through these layers.” Patty said.  
“I’ll say. Aramid ain’t easy on the skin.” Shep grunted, scratching his right pec. “And I guess I’ll join ya…” He glanced at Lu, trying to gauge her body language, failing terribly.  
Lucy sharply exhaled through her nose, a bit annoyed that he decided to hit the bars with Sel and Patty. She was never fond of the bar scene, large crowds and lots of noise were never her thing. Asperger’s is a bitch and a half.  
“What about you, Lu? I know it’s not normally your bag, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t ask.” Sel said, taking her thick, dark, and naturally curly hair out of the usual fit and formal bun and letting it hang to her shoulder blades. Hanging her Delta X helmet hang off her JPC.  
A train of curses rain through Lucille’s mind. She just wanted to spend some more time alone with Shep. Her troubles with being direct coming back to hit her like a misguided boomerang, least she was direct about how she felt earlier. Blood loss sure does interfere with your judgment. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her still gloved hand, leaving a trace of black and white corpse makeup on her finger pads.  
“I don’t think alcohol and severe blood loss will mix but I guess I’ll hang out for a few minutes…” She sighed.  
“Sounds good to me. Hey, you should ask your sister to tag-a-long. Lord knows she’s bored out of her friggin’ gourd.”  
“Oh, come on! We’ve already made a slew of bad decisions tonight; do we really need to drag poor Macy into this?”  
“Hey, she’s a bigger party animal than you. Macy’s prolly chomping at the bit to do something fun. Come on, she deserves to live a little. You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, Vickers.”  
“Fine. I’ll ask.”  
The gang left the motor-pool, leaving the technical parked askew with the machine gun’s charging handle still stuck half-way and the feed tray half shut. The hurried up the usual cramped and narrow stairwell. Everyone keeps complaining about how they need an elevator from the dormitory to the motor-pool, but Coal-Ton has been reluctant to build one as usual. So, one by one they squeezed passed each other, still wearing their body armor, Patty narrowly avoiding the ceiling-mounted lights hanging over her head. Even without a helmet, she struggled to avoid bumping her noggin on the industrial lamps with her towering physique.  
They each stop at their respective dormitories dropping off their gear, Patty stops by the armory with the belt-fed and Gustaf, she laid them on a box of TOW missiles with a ribbon and two padlocks on it. She slapped a sticky note on two, saying ‘Please clean before use.’ She locked the heavy blast-proof door behind her, punching in an array of numbers on the keypad with a couple of high-pitched beeps following her presses. Whistling contently as she trotted back to her room.  
Lucy stumbled through her dorm door, tossing her helmet on the bed haphazardly, unclicking her cumberbund letting her ANA M2 fall to the floor with a loud thud on her not so soft rug. Macy not in her usual spot. She flopped back on her mattress, letting out an irritated groan.  
“Fuuuck!” She shouted into her nugget protector. Letting the can and all its accessories rest on her face.  
“I do not want to spend the remainder of my precious evening in that piss-soaked opioid den. God damn it.”  
She stood to her feet with about as much enthusiasm as a high schooler in the early morning. She drug her feet down to the old lounge looking for her shorter twin, passing by the other former pipe-hitters about to hit the sack. 

Vickers knocked on the lounge archway when she saw Macy chilling on the poorly upholstered couch, hogging every inch of it with bits of memory foam poking out of the cushions.  
“Hey, hope I’m not interrupting anything,”  
“I wish. Another craptastic dime a dozen action-What the shit happened to your arm? And what’s on your face?! Macy criticized, sitting up and letting the hood of her faded Whitworth University jacket fall as she brushed the loose dust off herself.  
“Don’t worry about it. Just some side work. Heading down to Last Chance. Selena and Patricia wanted you to tag along. You in?”  
“Some damn side job with a face like that. I swear you were never this injury-prone when we were kids. Christ, sis. You really oughtta stay your ass at home then, huh?” She advised, eying her taller looking sister up and down, her biological mirror with a toned physique and more scars, plus a couple of inches in the height department.  
“Trust me, May-May. I’d be at home even if I didn’t perforate a limb. But Shep agreed to go with so… You know.” She sighed, leaning up against the rough lounge walls, anxiously flicking the zipper on her tactle-neck.  
“I see. Thought you wanted some time away from him?”  
“Eh, it is kind of, odd right now. But not as awkward as it was the day before. Just want to spend some more time with him outside of the job and training-related activities, you know?”  
“Right. Right. But yeah, I’ll join you gals and get white girl wasted. Schooling all these damn smooth brain kids have been giving me splitting headaches.” She went on. Tossing Lucy her iconic Task Force Orange jacket, complete with her callsign and the little bat-cat sitting smugly on the back. The orange on the back clashing with the overall OD Green color of her coat.  
Lucille nodded and pushed her spectacles up. Heading back downstairs to Coal-Ton’s ground level. Trotting out with a mood that was the opposite of her giddy sister’s. Though Macy’s expression rapidly shifted when she stepped into the heavy snow on the ground, the wet snow seeping into her running shoes and wetting her sock. Lucy could only giggle as she watched her sister awkwardly wade through the frost.  
“Oh, come the hell on! Right in my sneakers. Didn’t Raven promise to send out some E-Heaters to melt this crap?”  
“I keep telling you to buy a pair of boots.” She snickered, grabbing a toothpick from her pocket and sticking a toothpick in her mouth.  
“I’m my feet all day. Cut me some slack, Lu-Lu.”  
“So am I. That’s why I dropped the brass on these puppies.” Lucille raised her foot to her, shaking it in front of her smugly.  
Macy sighed as Lu chuckled at her shorter half stumbled towards dry land. Her mood started to raise, maybe Last Chance wasn’t such a bad idea. 

Shep, Patty, and Sel had already beaten them to the tavern. They had been chilling just outside the doors, listening to the faint industrial and heavy metal music seeping through the bar doors and rebar glass windows. The watering hole had characteristics of an old-timey wild west saloon and a punk rocker joint. A wild clash of aesthetics but it fits together quite fine. It was decorated with a mismatch of neon signs, one of which was a beer bottle with three x’s on the label and a bottle cap flying off. Next to it was a generic revolver with the cylinder popped out with flashing lights alternating between the chambers in a circle rapidly like a roulette wheel, both of which were flanking an illuminated sign, saying ‘Last Chance Bar,’ with the lights in the chance lights flickering rapidly.  
“Took you two long enough, and you brought your funner half too.” Sel snickered, gesturing to the maroon haired twins.  
“Lu, ya still got ya zombie face on.” Patty pointed out, Lucy wincing and facepalming at her forgetfulness.  
“Least it ain’t tattooed on like some of the other folks,” Shep interjected  
“Eh, I wouldn’t sweat it, sis. I doubt you’ll stick out in here.” Macy gave her a nice pat on the shoulder, she had always tried her best to comfort her twin. 

Lucy was always more introverted out of the two, for Lucy it was a given with her condition. Macy was luckier, the polar opposite in that regard. Though she did always try to help Lu be more outgoing, it didn’t help her much, but she appreciated the thought none the less. 

“Whatever. Let’s go get shit housed!” Selena shouted, holding open the saloon-style reinforced door for the rest of the gang. “I still need to drink away this afternoon’s memory, ugh.” Sel still shuddered at the encounter between Shep and Lu on the stairwell.  
“Memory? What did I miss?”  
“I’d tell you but I’m pretty sure Lu would kill me for violating Op-Sec,” Selena said in a mock tone with a hand on her hip, strutting in behind Patricia.  
As the gang barged into Last chance their ears were stuffed with the sound of bar chatter and hard industrial music from the nineteen-nineties coming in through damaged loud-speakers. Their nostrils flooded with the scent of hash smoke, copper, and sweet booze. On top of that, the bar was decorated with a combination of Pre-Armageddon tech, most of which were deemed obsolete before the third millennium. Alongside that was a handful of mercenary war trophies brought in by contractors working for the various wasteland profiteer groups, as well as various animal trophies pulled from wildlife by hunters, the massive beast heads hung proudly on the walls acting as a subtle reminder that man is no longer top of the food chain, not like it stopped anyone from trying to prove otherwise.  
The interior was much cozier looking than it’s hardened concrete exterior, it had an almost cabin-inn type look, but much grittier. The bar was illuminated by the same lighting CW used for their caves, a bit utilitarian and perhaps not the best looking but it was the best choice for most places outside of the larger domestic cities.  
The crew was greeted by Grant, the lead bartender and sole proprietor of Last Chance. Grant was an older man in his mid-fifties. His face was wrinkled and worn, no scars surprisingly and he had a well-kept thick bristly mustache that matched his eyebrows. He had long gray hair tied up in a braid that extended down to his buttocks, dressed in a set of carpenter jeans, work boots, and a leather jacket draped around his waist. Grant had been bore scrubbing a tarnished Beretta Silverhawk on the bar counter in front of his patrons, trying to keep his gun lube out of reach of his more inebriated patrons.  
“Well, well, well, if it ain’t our cemetery packin’ bastards from the past,” He paused, glancing at Shep and Macy. “An’ you two…” He said in a monotone voice devoid of any enthusiasm.  
“Nice to see you too, Grant,” Shep replied in obvious sarcasm.  
“Don’ get yer panties inna’wad,” He barked, loading a couple of slugs into his Silverhawk, slotting it on a rack displayed above his bar counter. “Ya’ll go get seated Ah’ll send someone over in a bit. Ah, ain’t got the time to deal with your frozen fairy non-sense right now.”  
Most of the gang sighed at Grant’s usual crass demeanor towards frozeners. Which was the general attitude towards cryostasis subjects that half the population carried with them. Not so much malice or genuine hatred, but a smug sensation that they were better than them. Because they managed to survive without the luxuries of traditional society, as well as the different ways of thinking.  
They found their way to a worn-out high-rise table, which had yet to be cleaned, being covered in loose bottle caps, food wrappers, and an ashtray loaded with cigarette butts. Patty just leaned over and swiped most of it off the table, knocking it to the floor and dumping out the ashtray. Everyone climbed up to the seats except for Patricia. She leaned against the table since she was the tallest one of the five, even towering over Shep.  
While they waited for one of Grant’s staff to come and take their order they engaged in small talk, which felt more natural and flowed a lot smoother since all five of them were walking relics. Even if a couple of them had very different backgrounds, but they had more in common than they did with anyone else in that establishment. Between the two former Green Berets, the Marine Raider, the engineer, and the schoolteacher, they were chatting like songbirds. After a few good laughs and chuckles, a young man with light stubble on his face with a light blue jacket and apron came over with a little note pad and a handful of coasters, doling them out to the party of five.  
“Welcome to Last Chance! My name is…”  
“Sam? What the hell are you doing here?” Macy asked, absolutely shook at this young man’s presence in such a dingey establishment.  
“Working Miss Vickers,” Sam said, curtly and blank-faced as ever.  
“Aren’t you a little young to be working in a place like this, Samuel?”  
“Gotta make money somehow, and since your sister’s gang of frozen warlords and that fuckin’ hog sheriff started making rules about who’s allowed on hunting teams and defense forces, I can’t even get the time of day and do what me and Danny had been doing.” Sam retorted, leaning over the table towards Lucille.  
“Yeah. God forbid we don’t allow minors to carry guns and go fuck with bandits outside of the gully. For Christ’s sake, Sammy.” Lucy replied in rancor, her nostrils flared in annoyance as she rested her forehead on her hand.  
“Hey, most of us are grateful for new management. But it seems like…”  
“SAMUEL! YA BETTER NOT BE LOLLY-GAGGIN’ OVER THERE! WE GOT OTHER PATRONS TO TAKE CARE OF SO SHIFT-IT INTA’ SIXTH, BOY!”  
Sam gritted his teeth as Grant’s shrill voice washed over him like a tsunami, catching him completely off guard.  
“Ugh… Whatever. What’ll it be?”  
“Just get us a round of IPA’s.” Selena groaned. Eager to get rid of this kid.  
“A round of IPA’s… Got it…”  
After Sam walked away, Shep let out an exasperated sigh as Lu narrowed her eyes at Selena. Causing her to feel a touch tense.  
“What?”  
“Indian Pale Ale? Really? I don’t even like beer that much and you order the hoppiest ones?”  
“Yeah, Selena. What are you? Some Austinite hipster?”  
“See? Shep knows IPA is shit tier. I’d rather drink Pabst Blue Ribbon.”  
“You would prefer PBR to IPA, wouldn’t you?” Selena teased, her fingers making a steeple, a slight closed-lip smile adorning her mouth.  
“Hey, fuck you,” She feigned mock offense, flipping her the bird with her bandage wrapped hands. “I have taste.”  
“You tellin’ me you don’t wanna get a little white girl wasted with Patty tonight?”  
“I like PBR…” Patty muttered while she slumped down, lowering behind the table.  
Another few minutes of arguing about various brews past by as more patrons flooded the tavern, the chatter and noise growing louder and louder, Lucille growing tenser as it strengthened. Sam rounded back with a tray of beers, sliding the frost-covered bottles around to his customers. They were labeled Mesa Black brewery Indian Pale Ale, with a backdrop of a desert valley of hops and barley.  
“As I was sayin’…”  
“SAM HURRY UP! WE GOT MORE CUSTOMERS! LESS YAKKIN’ MORE WORKIN’!”  
“God damn it.”  
“Just drop it, Sammy? Okay?” Lucy argued. “I’m not sure which is worse. This or you trying to get into my pants every week.”  
“Fine. I’ll drop it. Total is twelve PB.”  
“Twelve brass? That’s straight highway robbery.”  
“Hey, you said you would pay, Sel.” Shep chuckled.  
“Eh, whatever. Here’s fifteen. Stay outta trouble. Sammy.” She smirked, patting him on the shoulder whilst sliding a bundle of brass into his apron.  
Samuel could only breathe a defeated sigh as they snickered at him, walking back to the bar, tray tucked under his armpit.  
Selena handed Patty her bottle, and she popped both of their caps off with her wedding ring, putting that old piece of jewelry to some use.  
“Hey uh… Can I get a hand here?” Macy asked, waving her bottle at Patty.  
“Sure thing, short stuff,” Patty cracked the cap off her bottle with a loud hiss, foam pouring onto Patricia’s hands. She slid it back over to Macy with finesse as she shook the beer foam from her hands.  
The three clinked their ales together in celebration, Lu, and Shep just shooting each other looks. Like the two would rather be somewhere else. Lucy hated the bar scene with a passion, brings back embarrassing memories and the sensory overlord with no adrenaline cocktail to back it never helped. 

People always wondered why she was so good in a fight and seldom locked up when the shit hit the fan, but at the same time hated parties, clubs, and crowds because they were too loud or too much was happening. An anomaly she never quite had the answer for. Mainly because she never wanted to admit it was because she was autistic, especially with all the stigma that surrounded it. She didn’t spend fourteen years in the army ground-pounding foreign shit holes to be infantilized and treated like a child. Everyone has their pet-peeves, some are just more outlandish than others.  
The curly-headed himbo and the red-headed snake-eater barely touched their drinks. Everyone else moving on to the harder stuff, with a three-quarter bottle of tequila dead center of the table. Lucy was still tense as could be, resisting the almost primal urge to jam her fingers in her ears like when she the old days. She scanned the room, completely out of the loop of the group’s conversation. After a few minutes, she decided to bail, she quietly slipped out of the gang’s view and slid out of the bar, making a beeline for her dormitory. Trying her best not to make a scene.  
It didn’t take long for Shep to realize she had left. He looked around the tavern, trying to find her amongst the crowd of gun-toting nail chewers, but no dice.  
“Hey, where’d Lu get to?”  
Everyone else just shrugged and shook their heads. All of them looking at Lucy’s empty seat with the unopened beer.  
“Who knows? Lu has a bad habit of reluctantly agreeing to these types of things and ghostin’ us. I don’t blame her, but damn I wish she’d just be straight forward with what she wants, for once. Like I said, not her usual bag.”  
“True. But I would hope she’d say something before she up and bounced.”  
“That’s my other half, for ya! God bless her, but boy she made having company over real awkward when we were kids.” Macy groaned, three IPA’s and several tequila smashes in.  
Shep sat there, a touch rigid, he tilted his head, his eyes darted from Lu’s empty seat to the saloon-style doors as he shifted awkwardly in his seat, curling his lips behind his teeth, as he rapidly tapped his boot heel against the ground. 

“Hey, uh… I think I’m gonna bail. It’s been… educational.” He dropped a couple of polished fifty-four R brass on the table.  
“Thanks for the beer and all,” Shep slid the bottle towards them, thinking they’d appreciate the extra. “Just umm… Not feeling it.”  
“Ya alright, Amar?” Patty asked, as she moved towards Lucille’s empty seat and leaned in towards Shep, causing him to lean back almost off his seat.  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m good, just tired, I guess. Long night,” He scratched his head and pulled up on his hair tie. “Sorry folks.”  
“Oh, don’t sweat it.” Patty gave him a big couple slaps on his back, causing him to nearly fall off his stool.  
“Aww, leaving so soon?” Macy taunted, snatching his untouched brew off the table.  
Shep pulled the excess hair off his shoulders as he hopped off his stool, pulling the sleeves of his sweater down to his wrists. Brushing himself off as he trotted away, Macy and Selena waved him off.  
“Thanks for helping us tonight, Shep,” Selena added as he walked off.  
“Don’t be a stranger… fun stuff.” Patty playfully waved, before Selena snatched her wrist and shook her head, mouthing the word no.  
Shep took a brisk pace to the doors, hands stuffed in his pockets. The weather outside was getting harsher than usual, the wind speed was almost staggering, even in the gulley. He pulled his shirt color up to his nose, trying to catch a break from this unrelenting atomic breeze. He started jogging up the canyon stairs, the wind chill only getting more unbearable as he went up. When he got to the sky bridge overlooking the small canyon town, he hightailed it across, that Texan blooded man couldn’t handle the blistering nuclear winter much longer. 

Chapter 4: Mulligan.

He stumbled through the heavy steel slide doors into Cemetery Wind’s caves, shivering and shuddering as the snow and frost fell from his clothes. Amar passed by the planning rooms and the armory on his way to the dorms. On his way down he heard the faint sound of music coming from downstairs. As he got closer it sounded like doom metal, the sound bounced around the cave and echoed. He investigated further and found the source coming from Lucille’s dormitory. Her door cracked ever so slightly, letting a sliver of light pour out into the dimly lit halls.  
She gave a few quick knocks to the archway of her door, trying to peer in through the crack.  
“It’s open.” She said, resting on her bed, one leg resting on her knee, her arms crossed behind her head as she stared at the cave ceiling. Her mind making shapes from the nooks and crannies.  
Shep slowly slid in, closing the door fully behind him. He looked around the room to see her dorm was well lived in compared to his. She had a couple of faded metal band posters, a 2023 promotional piece from Geissele Automatics pinned on her wall, a nice old, brown, shag rug. There was a chain of orange Halloween lights that dangled from her ceiling, which was currently serving as her main light source. Even her bed was nicer, an actual honest to god mattress for starters. Hers adorned with a nest of blankets and several pillows; cozy as could be. Across from her bed was her sister Macy’s, the beds forming an upper cause L in their formation. Shep was a touch loss for words and a bit envious. She even had her mini-fridge, though it had seen better days.  
“Hey, Lu,” Shep said, leaning against the wall of her dorm, looking down at Lu on her bed. “Still rockin’ the corpse face?” he chuckled, running two fingers down from the bottom of his eye.  
Lucille stretched her arm out and quickly spun the dial on her speaker, lowering the volume to an almost white noise.  
“Huh? Oh yeah. Been lazy about cleaning it off. But why are you here?” Lucille sat up and rested her head on her left hand. She gazed up at Shep cocking her head to the side. “I thought you were with the gals?”  
“You left without saying anything,” Shep scratched his neck and tugged at the collar of his sweater, eyes moving to the ground. “I was a little worried.”  
“Oh… No, I’m fine. Just was getting too loud for my taste,” She promptly swung her feet back around and let her head fall back into her pillow, sighing haggardly. “Never was fond of the bar or club scene.”  
“Too loud? Even after the whole bridge- Actually, never mind. I wasn’t exactly too keen on going either.”  
“Well… Why did you agree to go with them, then?”  
“To be honest? Same reason I was up on that bridge with you guys. Because of you. Even after our awkward Uhm… ‘encounter.’ I thought you liked that kind of stuff which I found to be a bit odd given your whole… condition.” His cheeks were a rosy red, Shep tried to mask it by turning his head to the side and clearing his throat.  
“Are you serious? The whole reason I go to that bar is only so I can spend some time with you! I cannot stand crowds, especially ones like Last Chance. Bunch of ‘wannabe’ skull-fuckers trying to play grab-ass with me? No thank you!”  
A wave of relief had washed over Shep, he let out a shaky sigh. “Thank Christ, ‘cause boy let me tell you how much I can’t stand the fuckin’ bands of misfits we have to deal with every time we walk in! It’s either some psycho chick tryin’ to play mind games or some green piece of shit with a six-gun tryin’ to show how hard he is.”  
“I know right? The loud music over damaged speakers and constant echo already makes my nerves raw. I don’t need to see a freak show piled on top of that!” Lu giggled as a smile replaced her rather a tense expression.  
Shep slumped down and quickly found a seat on her rug. “Least we don’t have to go back there, right?”  
“Yep, and you don’t have to sit down there, you know.”  
“Well, I don’t see any chairs around.”  
“Up here, jackass.” She beckoned with her hand, grinning ear to ear.  
Shep hesitantly walked over to Lucille’s bedside as she slowly scooted over like a snake to give him space. Shep lowered himself ever so slowly onto her bed, stiffer than a board.  
“Come on, get comfy. When’s the last time you slept in an actual bed?” She dug into his shoulders and dragged him to the pillow, her fingers like meat hooks. She didn’t know her strength.  
Shep sighed as he stretched and got comfy, breathing a content sigh as his head practically became one with the pillow. “Too damn long…”  
Lucille unzipped her tactle-neck down to her sternum, showcasing a white tank top underneath and revealing a hint of cleavage. She reached over Shep and started fiddling with her speaker, turning the volume up and changing the CD to some new-age synth from the early twenty-first century. She looked up and caught a glimpse of her pale, fair-sized, breasts, he couldn’t tell if she was just getting comfortable or teasing him.  
Though they did have an encounter not too long ago, Shep never got to see much of her, farthest he got was a hand down her trousers until she cramped up. Never even got her shirt off, Lucy, on the other hand, got to see a bit more but even that wasn’t that exciting with his performance anxiety at the time. 

Lucille reached into her dresser that the speaker had been resting on, she rummaged through her clothes and a loadout’s worth of loose rounds until she snatched up an old bottle of amaretto, never opened. She fell back into her bed, dangling the bottle between the two, she narrowed her eyes and bit her lip eagerly.  
Shep’s eyes widened excitedly, he grabbed the bottle from her and poured over the faded and worn label. Fancy exported stuff from Sicily, predating Armageddon.  
“Where’d you find this?!”  
“Don’t tell Caleb but Blake had that Hans Landa looking fuck bring in a bunch of private reserve booze to stock his office. Snatched a bottle forever ago, I’ve been saving it for a special occasion,” She quickly snatched the bottle back. “and since we’re going to have some more operating capital coming in and well…” She trailed off and leaned in closer to him, her fingers walked across his pectorals.  
“Well? What’s the special occasion?”  
“Us.” She whispered, leaning in closer, her smile as wide as ever.  
Her confidence had escalated drastically, she had gotten more and more playful and a touch more direct. Already becoming clear to Shep who was going to play first fiddle in this relationship. Lucy must’ve decided to stop pussyfooting around for real this time. She was going to get what she wanted, and Shep was more than happy to let that happen, even though he didn’t look it at the moment.  
“Us.” He parroted, still about as anxious as he was when he was on the bridge.  
“Hey, are you alright, Shep? You seem… off. More than usual.” She asked, her fingers twirling in his thick curly locks.  
“Huh? Oh no, I’m fine it’s just… I want this! I really do, Lucy. It’s just been a long time for me, and as you know with the whole deal on V-Day… Just worried I ain’t up to snuff you know?”  
“Oh, I doubt that and it’s not like it hasn’t been awhile for me too,” She leaned in closer, her nose a smidge away from his, their eyes locked, his hazel eyes getting lost in the sea of emerald green that was hers, usually hidden away by the tint on her thick-rimmed glasses. “Nothing has to happen tonight, let’s just see where it goes! No pressure this time.”  
Shep took a deep breath, his hand slowly slid its way up her thigh, his thumb idling rubbing the seams around her pockets. “Yeah. I’d like that.”  
“Good,” Lucy quickly rolled back over to her side of the bed, the bottle still raised. “Ready to crack this open?”  
“Fuck yeah. Tired of all that cheapshit.”  
“Told you I had taste.”  
“Let’s hope so. You got some glasses or?”  
“I figured we’d just take turns.”  
Shep shrugged, Lucy quickly twisted the cap off and tossed it on her dresser, taking a quick quaff of the finely aged amaretto, passing it to Shep. He took a hearty sniff of the booze, swirling it around before slogging it back.  
“Damn, not often ya get to taste somethin’ aged by two centuries and not puke your guts out.” He chuckled, taking another swig.  
“You might with the way you’re drinking it, give it here!” She chortled, seizing the liquid artifact from him.  
A quarter of the way down the bottle and they were both talking and laughing, their conversation flowing like a river. Becoming more and more comfortable around each other, the emotional and physical barriers wearing thin, the only thing between them was their clothes. Though the sensation fleeted from Shep and was slowly replaced with genuine concern.  
“Hey… Uh… Didn’t you say something about alcohol and severe blood loss earlier? I prolly should have said something earlier but…” Shep said, half concerned half chuckling.  
“Oh that? I just said that to try and get out of going to that den of shit.” Lu shrugged and took another swig of the amaretto.  
“But like, I’m no doctor but I can’t imagine that alcohol, lack of blood, no meal, and opioids in your system is a good combo.” Shep was half tempted to steal the booze back from her but even when she’s buzzed and missing a pint or two, she was still a hard charger, and he knew it.  
“Shep, we’ve been up to our eyeballs in shit countless times, we’ve been captured, tortured, shot at, blown up, as well as a whole slew of bad things. Not including the crap, I slogged through from ages eighteen to thirty-two. I have more scars than I do teeth,” She hooked her cheek with a bandaged finger, and revealed a series of all-metal teeth past her canines. “So, I doubt that losing a little blood, taking a couple of painkillers, and a little booze is going to do me in.”  
“I worry about you, ya know.” He consoled, leaning in closer, looking up at her like a dog at its owner.  
“Listen. I appreciate your concern, more than you know. But you don’t need to worry. I’m used to this. If anything, it’s me that should be more worried than you.”  
Shep furrowed his brow, tilting his head in confusion. “What are you tryin’ to say?”  
She sighed. “Remember when we first met?”  
“Hard not to. You kicked the shit out of me that morning then put five rounds in my vest that night and laid me on my ass.” He chuckled. 

“Yeah… So, I know this is going to sound a touch crazy, but I felt responsible for you after that. Because in the back of my mind I knew that leaving you in Concrete Junction just before the shit was about to hit the fan would be leaving you to die. In a way, I made you my responsibility. So, I had to get you out of there, whether you liked it or not. You’ve come a long way and I know you can hold your own… Just…”  
“Wait…” Shep interjected. “In your mind, you jumped to the conclusion that you were responsible for me because you put a handful of wadcutter into my chest? I don’t wanna judge but you’re right that does seem a touch nutso.” He chortled, but his laughter was cut short when he saw Lucille’s stern expression, she looked down at him, clearly not amused by his laughter.  
“Yes,” She said in a curt monotone voice. “My philosophy is that if you maim someone and don’t finish them off you kind of end up responsible for them. Or you finish them off…”  
“Soo, like hunting an animal?”  
“Close. There’s a bit more to that. What’s that old saying… Uh…” She scratched her temple. “My Weapons Committee instructor told it to me, I think it was ‘A wounded man shall say to his assailant, If I live, I will kill you, if I die all is forgiven.’ I’ll be honest, I barely listened to all the ethics of war jargon when I was in Q-Course.” She sighed sinking into the bed, “I was nineteen, so most of that was lost on me. I just focused on the shit that was supposed to keep me alive. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t exactly gung-ho out there either, just thought it was ironic. But it made more sense as I got older.”  
She paused, eyes fixed back to the ceiling with the bottle nestled between her legs. “Sorry, I’m rambling again. But that’s the first half of why I spend so much time around you, and why I’m willing to catch the heat for you.” She turned towards him, throwing her arm around him and pulling him closer, their foreheads almost touching, their noises a hair away.  
“The second half is… Because I love you.”  
Before Shep could get a word in, she pulled him closer and planted her lips on his, sandwiching his lower lip between hers, after a long couple seconds she slowly tugged on it with her teeth as she pulled away, grinning as she did. Shep couldn’t muster the words, he just laid there in stunned silence, the taste of bitter and sweet almonds lingering on his lips.  
“Huh… Bit of an odd transition don’t ya think?” His cheeks turned a touchy rosy.  
“Well… I couldn’t think of any other way to change the subject and shift away from my ramblings. Want me to stop?” She smiled and sunk her teeth into her lower lip.  
“Nope!” Shep snatched the booze from Lu’s thighs, catching her off guard. He took a quick swig and plopped it back on her nightstand.  
“Getting more liquid confidence in your system?” Lu ran her finger pads under his beard and leaned in as close as she could. “Well, I hope you won’t need it in the future.”  
She went in for another kiss, running her bandaged fingers through his mane, her other hand caressing his cheek. Shep got a bit more frisky and let his hand glide up from her thigh to her buttocks, gently caressing it with his still gloved fingers, his thumb idly sliding around in her belt. Her leg reached up over him and drug his hips towards her, effectively locking him in place.  
“Hmm, so… Tell me, Shep. Aside from my charming personality, and my ‘overwhelming confidence,’ what else do you like about me?” She arched her back and twirled her finger around in Shep’s thick and luscious locks.  
He gently pressed her forehead against hers “I like the fact that despite all the shit you’ve been through, you still try to be kind and benevolent as possible. I know sometimes your stress and anger will slip through the cracks, but I know you’re always trying.”  
“Oh…” She blushed. “I umm…” Lucille giggled nervously as she tried to hide her expression behind her hand. “I meant physically. Ahem. But thank you! I didn’t know you… carried that perception of me.”  
“I can’t imagine I’m the only one who thinks that way. I bet Selena and Macy know that better than anyone.” Shep gently ran his thumb down the lines of her scars on her cheek as Lucille grew more and more flustered.  
“Well… Thank you. That does… Mean a lot. Coming from you.” She cleared her throat, parting her bangs to the side. “But seriously… Come on, tell me what you like about my appearance! I want to know.” 

“That’s a bit of a tough one… Kinda hard to say when most of the time I see you you’re rockin’ a plate carrier on top of cold-weather gear,” He scratched his head and eyed her from head to toe.  
She had shed most of her gear, but she was still clad in her tactleneck which she had unzipped to the fullest, whether it was to air herself out or tease Shep, was unknown to him. She had ditched her holster, mag pouches, and sheath, all of which were on top of the nightstand next to her speakers, still loaded. But she was still rocking her urban gray combat pants, and knee pads, he couldn’t blame her though, they sure as hell were the comfiest clothes you could get, even within the controlled cities, she still had her DEVGRU hiking boots on, cave flooring still isn’t easy on the tootsies, even after all the renovations.  
“Your… Hair is pretty nice.”  
Lucille cocked her head curiously, her eyes widened at the response. “My hair.” She said curtly.  
“Yeah, the ponytail, the nice maroon color you got going on. The uh… Poofiness?” His eyes scanned her sheets in a failed attempt to hide his embarrassment.  
“Come on! You can do better than that.” She teased, bringing his head back up to eye level. “There isn’t anything you can think of?” She looked down at her hips, Shep’s hand still planted firmly on her left ass-cheek. She sighed, pushing her glasses up. “Clearly, there’s something you like.”  
“I-I-I mean… I’m not sure…” He stammered, peering over the shoulder at the bottle of booze.  
“Why don’t you check your hand?” 

His eyes almost popped out his head in astonishment, unaware that he had been groping Lucy’s ass for a solid couple minutes.  
“Oh, I didn’t realize…” He recoiled, he pulled his hand off her but was stopped when Lu gripped his wrist like an owl’s talons.  
“I didn’t say you had to stop.” She paused, releasing him and letting her hand walk up to his shoulder. “Doing alright?”  
“Yea. I swear this flirting crap used to be easier. Sorry, I ain’t givin’ you the night of your dreams, Vickers.”  
“It alright. To be honest, this isn’t my forte either. Like I said earlier, no pressure.” She reassured, planting a peck on his forehead.  
She reached over him and grabbed the bottle, taking another sip from it. “Want some more?”  
Shep nodded, taking a hefty swig from the bottle and slammed it down on the nightstand. He crawled back towards Lu, re-intertwining with her again, foreheads pressed against each other.  
“Well, why don’t you tell me what you like about me? What made you thirst over my dumb ass?” He gave her a playful nudge to the shoulder, his fingers walking up to her neck towards her bangs.  
Lu was tempted to scold him for his self-deprecating humor, but she let it slide that time. She debated what else she could say that she hadn’t said already.  
“I thought I went over that when I spilled my guts out to you two days ago?” She feigned a smile and chuckled nervously. “Listen, I meant what I said back then, I still do, and it took a lot of courage to get all that out on the table.” She took a deep breath and a sigh of relief.  
“I know… I guess I just have a hard time believing you think I’m a good person and deserve a second go-around at this whole… ordeal we call love.”  
“Yes! You’re a fantastic human being!” She exclaimed, almost shouting in his ears, dragging him closer to her, her mouth up to his ear.  
“But I always thought that you could do better. Hence why I never shot my shot with you.”  
“Do better? How?” “I love you but god damn you sure know how to kill the vibe, Shep.” Her nostrils flared in annoyance at the thought. 

“Because! You’re like this hard-charging badass, and at the same time you’re also one of the most caring people I’ve met in a long time!” He roared. “Not to mention you’re a goddamn twelve on a ten-point scale of fine. Even if you didn’t have some weird obligation you held yourself too, I still don’t understand why of all the goddamn people you chose me! You’re surrounded by pipe hitters non-stop and you chose the outsider, the one who’s least like you!” Shep’s face was redder than a tomato, his true feelings and all he wanted to say was out in the open, laid out to pick apart. He backed away from her as he just laid there, processing what he said.  
“Because I’m not like these people! And neither are you!” They unwrapped their bodies and sat up swiftly. “You’re not like any of these people. Yes, I know we’re all thick as thieves. But you have a unique perspective, you’ve lead a different life than everyone else in this caves, and in that, you have more compassion for someone like me, and in that I kind of envy you. In away… it’s reflected in your looks. Happy?”  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just… I dunno… All the self-loathing, and all the hell I’ve been through… even before cryo I didn’t think good things like you could ever happen to me again.”  
Shep flopped back down on the bed, his weight shaking the frame. Lucille sighed, and crawled back over to him, resting her head upon his pectorals, nuzzling her face against them.  
“Shep… You and I deserve to be happy. You just need to let yourself believe it.” She steadily climbed on top of him, straddling him with her hips. Pinning him to the bed. His gaze met hers, leaning up and meeting her halfway.  
There was only the music from the speaker now. There weren’t any words. They didn’t know what else to say. Lucille took the lead and picked up where they left off. She was tired of all the talking, all the confusion. Lucy was going to do what she always did and let her actions speak for her this time. She firmly c-clamped into his shoulder and used her weight to hold him to the bed. She swooped down like a barn owl and planted a deep passionate kiss on him, he finally untensed and gave way to her wants. If anyone knew what they were doing it was her. 

Her tongue slipped past his firm yet soft lips and began intertwining with his tongue, he just laid there as she took control of the situation. Shep’s tongue slid past hers and glided across her metal teeth, gently prodding her cheek. As their tongues wrapped around themselves like a pair of pit vipers, Lucy broke off from him and took her remaining glove off with her teeth and dropped it on his chest.  
“Let’s forget about the other night…” She said as she unclicked her belt buckle and arched her back, shimmying her hips back in forth. “Let’s just call this one a mulligan.”  
“Gladly!” He stopped and grabbed Lu’s hands as she was about to unbutton her pants. “Let me do that… I wanna try something.”  
“Oh? And what might that be? Actually, don’t tell me. You seem to ruin the mood when you open your mouth.” She teased, moving his hands to his pecs, giving them a firm squeeze.  
Shep winced a bit as she clutched his tit like an eagle with a rabbit in its claws, but he didn’t dare stop her. “Urk…” He grunted, trying his best to get back up to Lu’s level. “Maybe not this time.” He chuckled.  
“Prove it.” She started wrestling him back down to the bed, planting kisses on his neck and cheek as she held his wrists down.  
Shep squirmed and struggled underneath her surprising weight, giggling as she ground her hips against him, her friction was driving him crazy, it didn’t help that she was planting kisses along his neck, taking breaks to nuzzle his surprisingly soft beard.  
“Ah!” He moaned. “Fuck! Kind of hard to prove myself when you’re… Unf… Crushing me. You’re fit but you have the density of the dying sun!” He continued to wiggle underneath her, giggling nervously as she straddled him.  
“Hmm…” She pulled up to his ear and gave him a gentle nibble. “You know… It’s really cute watching you struggle like this.”  
With the way they were talking they could feel a buzz going between them, the liquid confidence doing wonders for both of them. 

“I’d keep you under like this forever if I could. But unfortunately, I need my medicine…” She swiftly wrapped her arms and legs around him, and death rolled him to the other side of the bed, planting him well on top of her. “So… Show me what you can do this time!” She bit her lip in anticipation, eagerly waiting what Shep had in store for her.  
Shep caught his bearings and quickly hopped up off her, dragging her by her legs to the edge of her mattress, parting them as he went down to his knees. Lucille crossed her hands behind her head contently as she peered up at him, curling her lip in anticipation. He placed himself between them, and planted gentile pecks up her inner thigh, moving towards her crotch. He could have gone straight for the prize, but he couldn’t just let her have all the fun. He pulled her sweater and tank top up to the top of her abdomen.  
“God damn…” He muttered, practically head over heels at her abs, she had an almost immaculate six-pack, and despite the cold, they were glazed in a thin layer of sweat. “Holy shit you’re shredded! Just… wow…” He mock fanned himself as his eyes poured over her muscle toned stomach, his eyes followed the trail of her stomach fuzz from her naval down to the button of her pants.  
“Well… I hope you don’t mind the happy trail. Because it’s not going anywhere, regardless of what you say.” She giggled.  
“Oh, not at all! It’s hot!” He exclaimed, giddy as could be. “I wasn’t sure if it was a stylistic choice or what, but I quite like the fur! Even more, so that it matches the drapes… Hehe.”  
Lucy grinned smugly as he got back to work, kissing his way down to her waistline, pausing his journey to run his tongue back up to her treasure trail up to her belly button. The sensation of touch was already giving Lu a warm fuzzy, it was too long since someone was this tender with her. She couldn’t help but giggle and convulse as the feel of his tongue against her belly tickled her.  
Shep held his hands behind his back, resting his head on the fly of her pants. He started tugging at the button with his teeth, it gave way with a quick pop, the sound giving him Lucille’s undivided attention. She couldn’t help but run her fingers through his thick, soft hair again, combing through his scalp as he gripped the zipper of her fly with his teeth, dragging it to the bottom. 

His hands crept their way back up her legs, undoing her knee pads and tossing them next to her plate carrier. He hooked his fingers around her belt loops, slowly bringing her trousers to her ankles, revealing a pair of black boxer briefs and a Celtic band tattoo wrapping around her right thigh. She had quite a few scars weaving their way across her legs like a roadmap, but god damn if they weren’t interesting conversation pieces. Though Shep couldn’t bring himself to ask. Her muscle tone certainly matched her legs, her thighs were huge, she could crush a melon between those bad boys, potentially even a man’s head. Shep smooched his way up her leg again, all the while running his fingers across her scars like they were following a river. He began sucking on her inner thigh, causing Lu to wince ever so slightly as he left a rather large hickey on her groin, leaving a thin trail of saliva as he pulled away. She struggled so hard to stifle her moans, a couple high pitched squeaks managed to escape her lips, covering her mouth in embarrassment.  
As the tint of her cheeks began to match her maroon mane, he moved back towards her crotch, gently prodding her pussy with his tongue through her underpants. She was already wet from all the friction and moist kisses he’d been planting on her like a garden, he could feel it soaking through her briefs. He parted his lips and pressed them against her mound repeatedly, she wriggled as he teased her, she was getting restless, just eager for him to dive right into it. She couldn’t resist the urge to buck her hips at him in anticipation, not-so-dry humping his face as he teased her through the fabric of her undies, practically driving her insane.  
“Ugh… Just… Hmph.” She started curling her fingers through his hair, grabbing two handfuls of it. “Come on… Please…” She whimpered, struggling to choke out a complete sentence, nearing her limit with constant teasing. The mix of spit and her fluids causing the wet patch on the seem of her boxers to stick to her.  
“OH GOD, JUST FUCKING EAT ME ALREADY! I CAN’T WAIT! RIP MY SHORTS OFF AND JUST EAT IT LIKE YOU’RE STARVING, FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” She screamed, losing any semblance of patience she had, she’d been waiting over a half a year for this and she could not wait for a second longer.  
Shep laughed as she forced his face between her thighs. “Well, that’s not very polite!”  
“I don’t give a fuck! I’ve been waiting for a god damn lifetime!” She grunted. Wrapping her legs around his head, squeezing him like an anaconda.  
Shep kept growing harder with her growls and slight roughhousing. She could kick his ass again and at this point and he would be grateful.  
Being in this state was heaven for Shep, grinning ear to ear as she pressed his head between her thighs like a vice. She was done giving him the illusion that he was in control and was going to take it into her own hands. She tightened her grip on him, completely lost in her excitement and eagerness. She snapped back to reality for a moment, catching a glimpse of him wriggling like a worm on a hook. In her immediate concern, she dropped him from her beartrap.  
“Shit!” He said rubbing his face, looking back up at her as she kicked her boots off to the side, sliding out of her combat pants, kicking them over Shep’s head.  
Lucy sighed in relief as she regained her composure. “Sorry about that. Did that hurt?”  
“Yes!” He said, resting his head on her pale thighs, totally head over heels at her raw power stored within her quads. “Do it again!”  
Shep was completely head over heels for her right now, lost in her power and beauty. He could spend days going over all of her features, every little scar that held a story, her intimidating physique, her physical prowess which he witnessed firsthand when they first met almost a year ago. Her glorious red hair that matched her cuffs. She was in her apex and they both knew it.  
She was the one who was going to wear the pants in this relationship and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Nor would he want to, he was more than happy to be under her thumb.  
“You like being handled like that, huh?” She stood to her feet, her non bandaged thumb planted within the inside of the lining of her boxers, she grabbed a Shep by the ponytail and pulled him back towards her, dropping him on his hands and knees like a disobedient canine.  
“Well, who am I to say no?” She snickered, sliding her shorts off, letting them fall to the rug. 

Shep started crawling back towards her with her hand still wound up in his hair. She started stepping back further and further back towards the bed, keeping him just a few inches from her peach, paying him back for his constant teasing. Lu finally plopped back down on her sheets, her legs spread wide as she let him slowly come forward, propping one leg up on his shoulder, using her calf to guide him closer towards his meal. Barely an inch away from her, feeling the heat from her on his lips.  
He parted her legs more-so and began to caress her folds with the pads of his thumbs. Her cunt had become slick with a combination of her juices and the sweat accrued from tonight’s firefight. Her pink flesh contrasting with her burgundy fur. He slowly began to massage her slit with the pads of his thumbs, slowly circling the hood of her clit with the tip of his tongue.  
Lucille was even more touch starved than she thought, she struggled to suppress her whimpers and potential growling as she dug her canines into her lips, catching a full handful of her bedsheets as he began to work his magic. As his tongue swirled around her clit, he ripped his glove off and slid his index finger into her, Lucille inhaled sharply as he felt his finger slowly glide in and out of her.  
It had been so long since she had her needs tended to like this. Sure, she could make do on her own but there’s only so much your own hands can do, and even more so when you barely have any alone time and all the showers are communal.  
Shep continued to slowly trace her vulva with the tip of his tongue as he fingered her. He slid his finger out of her and pressed the entirety of his tongue flat against her pussy, slowly dragging it up and down as a combination of spit and juices started to roll down his beard and his neck, his beard tickling her in the process. Lu’s mind was on another planet already from just a bit of tongue and fingering.  
“Mmmph… Aahnn… F-fuck…” She began resting her legs on his shoulders, crossing them behind his back pulling him even closer, grinding on his face as she moaned.  
Shep moved his soft moist lips to her clit, wrapping them around it as he began to suck on it, swirling his tongue rapidly around it like a piece of hard candy. He gently tugged on it with his lips and slid two fingers into her and god did she feel amazing, her soft insides convulsing around his digits in heated excitement, curling his middle fingers as he fingered her his speed growing as he let her out of his mouth with a pop. The thumb of his hand soon replaced his mouth on her clit pressing firmly and rubbing it as he stood up towards her, pressing his forehead against hers like an Eskimo kiss. Their eyes locked, Lucille caressing his sideburns with her bandaged thumb. The silence was broken when she saw her juices dripping down his chin and off his Adam’s apple, turning away and giggling covering her mouth in mock disgust. Causing him to cease the rhythmic motion of his fingers.  
“What’s so funny?” He cocked his head to the side in curiosity, his smile unbroken.  
“You got… Ahem… You have a little of me on you. Hehe.”  
“Oh? Well, since you’re hosting, I feel the polite thing to do would help me clean it off.”  
“Done already? Well… alright…” She sighed exasperated, pulling the bottom of her sweater up to his chin before he stopped her abruptly.  
“No, no! I mean…” He puckered his soft, red lips and tapped them with his free hand.  
“Oh. OH! I thought I was going to have to ruin my turtleneck!” The metal head snake eater giggled. “Gladly, Shep.”  
She slowly ran her tongue up from his clavicle grazing over her residue, all the way up to his philtrum, giving him a quick few pecks that turned into one deep long kiss when his fingers resumed their dance. Lu struggled even more to suppress her moaning which alternated to growling, her claws working their way up to his pectorals, kneading them like they were a firm biscuit dough. She moved towards his nipple feeling something hard around them through his clothes. Moving her way down his neck.  
“You know…” She cut herself off as she kissed around his neck, “Maybe you should…” She paused again, her teeth grazing him. “Get your top off…”  
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” He asked, his free hand reaching below, sliding between her and the bed, catching a handful of her pale, firm, ample rear which was even more heavenly now that her pants were off.  
“You don’t want to ruin it do you?”  
“What this ol’ thing?” He said peeling back, tugging on his collar. “I ain’t worried, Lu.”  
She laughed through her sigh, “Come on, ditch the shirt. Give me something to play with. I’m up here Winnie the Pooh style with my cooch hanging out and you’re still dressed for frost fall.” She teased, tugging upon his shirt, feeling up his stomach.  
“Well, when you put it that way…” He tried to follow Lu’s charm by biting his lip as he tried to get his shirt off like an exotic dancer, struggling a touch as his arms got caught in the sleeves, but that didn’t hold him back.  
As soon as she could, she immediately went for his large but soft pectorals. Shep wasn’t quite as apex as her but sweet damn he was a sight to behold whether he admitted it or not. He wasn’t quite sculpted, but he had serious muscle definition. His chest and abdominals were remarkably well-groomed, not a hair in sight. Which went nicely with his olive-colored skin. His right pectoral was adorned with a barbell style nipple ring with a tattoo of a silhouette of a black sun around it.  
It was as if all his fears of inadequacy had floated away, all the anxiety about disappointing this absolute twelve out of ten was gone, he was just so lost in the motions that none of it mattered anymore.  
Right now, it was just them, the world outside didn’t matter, nor did anything or anyone else. They had finally got their much-needed distraction.  
Lucille began to fiddle with the piercing on his pectoral, kneading it between her fingers after tracing the tattoo around it. She ran his fingers down his abdomen, he didn’t have the six-pack his partner did, but he had a very healthy physique, he had serious core strength but his stomach was one you could lay your head on after a long day. She pressed her face against it, kissing her way up his naval towards is sternum. She moved her lips over his right nipple and traced the tattoo again with her tongue before wrapping her lips around his piercing.  
The eager Texan let out a sharp moan of pleasure as she toyed with it in her mouth like a jawbreaker. As she sucked on his nipple, Shep’s erection was practically begging to come out as it pressed against his zipper. She couldn’t help but toy with it, the sheer sensation of touch on his member through his trousers causing him to stagger forward, hands pressed against the bed and gripping the sheets, clenching his lower lip in his teeth as he tried to suppress the sounds of his excitement.  
“Aahnn… Damn.”  
As he moaned, she peered up at him with her eyes narrowed, smiling with the ring pressed gently between her teeth. She pulled back on it before letting it out of her mouth going back on it for one more kiss. Giggling as she wiped the hint of spit dangling off her lip.  
“Sorry, I hope you didn’t mind. Never been with anyone with a piercing before. It’s something I’ve always found hot, especially on big tittied guys. Hehehe…” She wrapped her strong legs around him and pulled him closer. Feeling his clothed erection on her bare loins. “Mmm, hard as a rock under there. This must drive you crazy, huh? Seeing me like this, getting to taste me like you have, hmm?”  
“I’d be lyin’ if I said it wasn’t a fantasy that gave me comfort in the more uh… ‘lonelier’ nights, Lucille. I’m a bit in denial that this is even happening.” He panted as he tried to resist himself, slowly and subconsciously grinding against sopping wet nethers. “You’re an absolute goddamn bombshell, you know that?” He grunted, moving his hands to her under thighs, getting a firm hold of her sweet and supple ass.  
“You’re damn right I am!” She replied confidently, the CD in her player changing to a mix of djent and doom metal. “So…” She traced her hand back to his belt buckle, tugging at it. “Any fantasies you’re entertaining now in this situation?”  
“Well… I’m a bit embarrassed to say but…” His cheeks began to glow red, as he retracted a hand, scratching his neck a bit nervously, laughing as he thought about what he wanted her to do.  
“Oh, come on! You still can’t be that bashful when you spent a half hour muff diving on me. Tell me! I doubt it’s the worst thing I have heard.”  
“Eh… I want you to… Ahem… Sit on my…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish, he just tapped his chin, struggling to make eye to with her.  
“On your face?” She pushed her glasses back up, and he nodded slowly, gritting his teeth in shame. “Gladly.” She planted another tongue deep kiss on him.  
Lucille took her turtleneck off and cast it to the rug, leaving only a tank top and sports bra. As well as her glasses. She rolled over onto the bed, giving him a come hither with her fingers.  
“Really? Just like that?” He said in partial disbelief.  
“Hey, most people I’ve been with I have to ask to even get a little tongue. While I’ve been asked to do worse without an ounce of hesitation in their voices. Now, come on. Up up.” She patted her pillow, fluffing it out for him to rest on. “But first get your pants off!”  
Shep eagerly kicked his boots off and shed his cargo pants, leaving only his boxer briefs, allowing a touch of breathing room for his eager member. He plopped down on her sheets, laying down giddy as a goose as Lucille crawled over towards him. She turned away from him and slowly situated herself above him, her moist pussy only inches from his face, as she began to straddle his head between her ankles, she wiggled her rear playfully like a cat about to pounce its prey.  
“Are you ready?” She asked, leaning over him with her back arched, hands round his hairy thighs.  
“Oh yeah! Lay it on me!”  
She slowly lowered her ass onto his face, straddling him once more. She shuddered when he immediately slid his tongue inside her, leaving claw marks along his legs as it played inside her, wrapping his arms around her legs as she did.  
“Unf… While… Ah… work your stuff… Mmm… down there. I’m going to… Hmph.” She struggled more and more as he alternated between tonguing her and sucking on her folds and clit. “Fuck!”  
She quickly shot up straight, her ass still pressed firmly against his bearded face. She began to grind back and forth on him, growling swears through her teeth as she did so.  
“This is what you want, huh?” She teased as she ground her cunt across his face. “Guess you must be starving, huh? Ha.” She giggled, fondling his diamond-hard dick through his boxers, Shep squirming at the sensation.  
“But before I get to carried away, I should probably get this war paint off.” She reached towards her nightstand, grabbing a washcloth off it.  
Shep struggled to get his mouth free from under her. “Do you really need to?”  
She raised her hips off him momentarily, allowing the stud a breather.  
“Yes! I do not want to get any of this on your dick and to be honest, it’s starting to get to that stage of dry and uncomfortable.”  
“Aww, I thought it was kinda hot.”  
“Sorry, cowboy. Perhaps another time.”  
Lucille cleaned the black metal war paint off her face and tossed the rag to the side of the bed.  
Lu lowered her butt back onto his face, resuming the rocking of her hips all the while sliding her dexterous fingers underneath the band of his underpants. Slowly sliding them off him. She pulled them down just enough to get his prick out, she was ecstatic at the sight of it.  
“Oh… My. It just keeps getting better.” She firmly gripped the shaft of his uncut cock, she peered down and began kissing the base, fondling his balls with her bandaged hand.  
He was quite large, his dick was girthy and vein wrapped, it matched his physique. He was much smoother compared to her with only a small well-groomed patch of hair above his member. The tip was oozing with precum, she ran her tongue up the length of his cock up to his tip, licking it off as she began to stroke his dick, her lips pressed against the head of his shaft.  
“I don’t understand what you were so worried about when this is what you had in stock. Hehehe…”  
The enthusiastic redhead rolled his foreskin back and began to take his head in her mouth, grazing it with her tongue as she jerked him off. Accidentally nicking his prick with her teeth as she went further down his shapely member, causing him to wince in slight pain. But that didn’t stop him or his tongue.  
While she worked his shaft, the pipe hitter began to raise off him, her ass elevated off his face. Shep being the absolute fiend that he was, spread loins apart and laid his tongue flat against them, running it from her clit to her hole back and forth several times. The sensation distracted the nimble commando, closing her eyes and blushing just before his tongue slowly slid back inside her, wriggling around like a dexterous slug, in and out as she moaned with her lips around his cock.  
She glanced back at him, pushing her glasses up as she grinned playfully. It was almost as if she was being challenged by her lover. A challenge she gladly accepted. Lu spat on his tip and began stroking him from tip to base, lubing him up proper. Shep could not suppress his whimpers for the life of him.  
“You’re real lucky I have this injured wing, or I’d give you some double trouble.”  
Shep’s moans were interrupted by his roars of laughter. Her dirty talk was more humorous than erotic for him.  
“Babe, I’m sorry but you’re not exactly fantastic at this whole talk dirty deal. You tryin’ to make me bust a nut or a gut here?”  
“Shut up! God, you’re such an ass.” She feigned mock offense, laughing through her words, tightening her grip around his shaft, forcing a sliver of precum out.  
Before he could get another word out, she replanted her ass firmly on his face.  
“If you don’t want to hear my talk, you can use my thighs as earmuffs.”  
She slowly began to gyrate her hips on her face, moving in a circular cadence. Her tempo slowly increasing with the pace of her strokes. Her slit tracing around the flat of his tongue. A mix of spit, sweat, and her vicious excitement trailing down his cheeks and chin, soaking his beard in her fluids.  
She began to spell out words like coconut with her hips on his face, her mind becoming hazy as she steadily swelled towards a climax. Bracing herself on his quads. Lucille continued to work his prick over, Shep curling his toes all the while.  
“Unnf… Oh fuck yeah…”  
Her emerald eyes began to roll up, almost closing them as she inched closer and closer towards sweet release.  
“Oh Shep… Don’t stop. Don’t you dare fucking stop… Ah.”  
She could feel his groans of pleasure on her mound, the subtle vibrations from his words doing wonders for her. Shep’s cock was swelling in anticipation, bucking his hips reflexively, almost fucking her hand. Her saliva and precum acting as lube.  
“Ah yeah… Oh, I’m so close! Hrnngh…” She hooked her feet behind his head and pulled him closer, his face buried in her groin.  
His hands left a trail of claw marks across her thighs and lovely rear end. Holding onto her for dear life. His dick twitching in anticipation, as she gripped his cock so tight her knuckles turned white.  
“Hmph… Fuck… Bite me, Shep… Bite my clit!”  
The obedient dog beneath him gave a little nibble to her tender little node. The sensation sending her over the edge, a wave of euphoria flooding her brain as squeezed a load out of Shep’s cock and creamed all over Shep’s face, her fluids sticking to his beard as his body untensed at the pangs of ecstasy that washed over him. His load covered her hands and landed on his stomach as he moaned into her.  
“SHEP!”  
“LUCY!”  
In her sweat-soaked exhaustion, she collapsed and rolled off to the side, a strand of cum and spit lingering as she broke off. Her nethers engorged and almost pulsing as she laid there panting next to her flame. Shep lied next to her riding the same cloud nine as her. Shep let his hand wander up her thigh, letting it rest there.  
Lucille struggled to rise, she got to her knees and flopped down with his face next to his.  
“Shep…” She muttered, her hand walking up to his stomach and laid flat on his tit.  
“Lucy?” He whispered, his hand resting on her ass cheek.  
“Thank you. I cannot begin to tell you how badly I needed that.” She flipped over onto her back, sweat caked legs spread apart.  
“Oh. Yeah, no problem. You were pretty g-damn amazing yourself. That was just so… Unf, God your hips and your ass. Your handwork was just so good.”  
“What is this ‘was’? Just give me a minute and we’re going another round! If you’re willing that is.”  
Chapter 5: Round Two.  
Lu peeled off her sweat-soaked tank top, flinging it against the wall like a wet paper towel. She began undoing her sports bra which was even wetter than her shirt, meanwhile, Shep grabbed the bottle off the table and took another swig, letting out another content sigh, swirling the remaining contents of the bottle around.  
She dropped the remainder of her skivvies on an unsuspecting Shep. Giggling as his gaze met her breasts. They were glistening with sweat, adorned with a couple of scars, another set of wartime conversation pieces. She was a solid c-cup, she pressed them together between her biceps playfully. As she did this the two love birds couldn’t help but giggle.  
“Wow… Those sure are somethin’! May I uh… Cup one?”  
“Like you even have to ask at this point. But you may.”  
Lucille guided his hand up to her breast as her hand returned to its intended spot on his. She cupped her other breast and gave them both a playful honk. Both of them giggling as they felt each other up.  
“I think yours are better. Bigger too.” She laughed, her eyes moving between the two. “Whew…”  
“They’re not that impressive.”  
“Oh, please. They were practically popping out of that blue sweatshirt you’re so fond of.”  
“Yeah, but I don’t dress in layers like you.”  
“Well, my girlies are a touch sensitive. Normally I’d have kept it on but they’re chafing from the bridge.”  
Lucille plopped back down next to him, resting her face on his pectorals, nuzzling his chest like a warm bosom. Crooning as nestled down in between them.  
“I never did thank you for pulling my ass out of the fire, saving me from the nail bomb on the bridge tonight.” She peered at him, twirling her finger in his curly locks.  
“Oh, it’s nothin’, you woulda’ done the same for me. Was worried about being a liability.” He ran her hands down her back, feeling the bumps of her scars on her back.  
“Hmm. You certainly held your own, sorry for doubting you. God, that was a real dick thing to do.”  
“Well, I mean you probably coulda’ worded it better but it’s not like I’m eager to go fight mercs so not a whole lotta offense taken.”  
Lucy snatched the bottle from him, taking another swig. “All that aside. Maybe I could show you my gratitude.”  
She trailed her fingers down to his flaccid dick, tracing up and down, her fingernail grazing the shaft of his cock, wincing in slight discomfort. Still sensitive from before.  
“Ahn, damn. I uh…”  
Shep laid there flustered, intimidated by his partner's seemingly bottomless libido. He couldn’t turn her down, but more pressing things were on his mind.  
“Something wrong?” She retracted her hand. “We don’t have to keep going if you’re not comfortable. Even if my… Ahem… ‘Bedroom demeanor’ made you think otherwise.”  
“No, it’s not that! Just a touch sensitive, and well…”  
“Well?”  
“Don’t you and your sister share this room? They have to be on their way back by now.”  
“I wouldn’t worry about it. If I know my sister, she’s probably dying to get out of this town for a night. I imagine they are probably going on a bar crawl in Mortar-City. Hell, they might even head out to MesaVille.”  
“No offense but your sister ain’t got the same skillset as you. You sure she’ll be alright?”  
“Yeah. She’s got Patty and Sel with her. I trust them to watch over her. If anything, I’m glad she’s with them. Gives me more alone time and I don’t feel obligated to hang out with them all the time.”  
“Do you not like hanging out with them?”  
“I love hanging out with them! I’ve known Selena since selection, and she helped me with my Orange candidacy. It’s just well, things aren’t the same these days. There’s not all that much to do in terms of entertainment other than getting straight shit housed.”  
“I plenty of stuff to do now that ain’t restricted by law.”  
“Yea, tell that to Raven, PeaceKeeper Brigade, and Bright Star.”  
“Bright Star?”  
“Err-Never you mind! The point is that me and her have different ideas of fun these days I’d prefer to go hiking, bird watching, or stay home and paint. Selena on the other hand is more of a socialite, she would prefer to go watch a sparring match in the bigger cities or hit up one of the more exotic clubs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that I just don’t like crowds.”  
“Fair ‘nuff! You know I don’t mind doing that stuff with ya.”  
“I know, I just always feel bad asking.”  
Lucy planted the two thirds empty bottle back on the nightstand, reaching over to change the track again, to some music better fitting of the mood. As she transitioned back to the bed, she straddled his hips again. She brought her face down to his, placing her glasses on the top of her head. Shep could finally see past the slight tint in her frames, taking in the true beauty of her eyes.  
“You got real nice eyes. Kinda hard to see the nice color behind those shades.”  
“They’re not shades, you know that.”  
“I know, but the way you wear em it seems like a fashion choice. Not that I’m knockin’ it. Just…”  
“Well, originally my vision was alright. But selection dictates that you must have corrected vision of twenty-twenty. But throughout my work I found my vision getting worse, damage to the fiber optic nerves and slight clouding over my cornea. So now I have to wear them constantly.”  
“That blows. But it’s a damn good look for ya at least.”  
“Thanks. I didn’t drop the cash on these babies to not look good.” 

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Lucille decided to break it with another set of kisses, slowly grinding on his still flaccid member. Her lips wandered towards his ear. Grazing it ever so slightly with her teeth and tongue. Moving farther and farther down towards his neck. He began to run his hands down her back, his fingers gliding across the grooves of her blemishes.  
He began to buck his hips against her, his prick rising to the occasion. As she not-so-dry humped him, her warm still moist loins grinding up and down his hard cock, he grabbed his dick and attempted to slide it in. She swiftly stopped him, still grinding her ass and mound up and down, holding his dick against her with her hand.  
“Not so fast! You wanted to make me wait. Now I’m going to make you wait!” She teased, hotdogging his dick between her fantastic ass.  
“Oh yeah?”  
“Unless you beg.” She sat up and pressed his dick down before she began straddling him once more, cowgirl style. Sliding across his girthy member. Hands-on her hips, chest pushed out.  
“Really?” He threw his hands up in disbelief, as she ground on him.  
“I can sit here, all night.”  
“Come on! Where’s your compassion?”  
“You shouldn’t have made me wait so damn long then. Six whole months since we’ve arrived in this town. Six whole months I’ve had my eyes your nice, firm ass. I swear that thing gets into a room five minutes after you do.”  
As her hips danced on him, leaving him to sit with those words on his mind.  
“If you wanted it so bad why didn’t you say anything?”  
Lucille grabbed a smoke off her nigh stand along with her zippo, refusing to break eye contact with him and she sparked it up. She took a slow drag, leaning down towards him, pinning his wrists to the bed. Blowing the smoke through her nostrils, her expression unchanging.  
“Didn’t say anything-Dumb ass! Like I haven’t been strutting my hips whenever I’m in view of you as I walk away, like a majestic gazelle. Like I haven’t been flaunting my ass and flexing “naively” in front of you when we work out. And not even just that, the gestures, when you pass out at your workstation only to find my jacket draped over you like a blanket.” She took another drag from her cigarette, expelling the smoke away from him.  
“Sorry, I’m being brash again. I’ve never been good at putting how I feel into words. Letting actions speak for me has always worked out best. Guess we need to be blunter with each other and what we want. You want this right? I know you’ve said your piece before and all. I’ve never been the best at reading people, and I don’t want to feel like these things are one-sided from my end anymore.”  
“I want this! I really do. Not just the sex but this whole dynamic with us. It’s just weird having these feelings again, of desire. But the way you phrase it, you make it sound like I ain’t been doing the same! But you’re right, we really oughtta be more direct with one another.”  
“So… Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way. For good this time, I hope. You want to keep fooling around or? I’m good to go if you are!”  
“Maybe, I kinda want it to be more tender this round. Not that I mind a little rough stuff, just would like a little soft stuff. Little sweet nothin’s and such?”  
“I can do that. Sorry about the whole borderline femdom type talk. It wasn’t how I had thought our first night together would be, either.”  
She let off his wrists, letting him sit up as she continued to saddle his lap. Both of them grinning from ear to ear. She flicked the ashes off her cigarette in the nearby ashtray, letting her arm dangle off his shoulder. Shep’s hand supporting her thigh as he nuzzled her neck, her maroon hair brushing against him.  
“To be honest, as much as I want to keep going. I’m just happy about it… Well, this. Vulnerability, and intimacy. It’s cathartic. I mean I love the act, but I love the feelings it carries much more.”  
“It is nice.” She sat her half-smoked cig in the ashtray.  
Lucy smooched Shep again, he could taste the smoke on her tongue, it wasn’t exactly doing any favors for him, but he tried his best to ignore it. Albeit not so inconspicuously, wincing as the taste of nicotine and tobacco swept across his taste buds. She took notice and pulled back, covering her mouth in faux embarrassment. They both giggled, their laughter melting away the tension.  
She slowly began gyrating on him again, she was eager as ever. Shep just let her do her thing. Just happy as could be. Someone he could trust with the darkest of secrets and someone who would have is back when he was eyeballs deep in the shit, and he would be more than happy to do the same for her.  
Lu elevated herself just enough off him and began teasing herself with the tip of his prick. Rubbing it against her clit, teeth dug into her quivering lip in anticipation. Shep supported her hips with his hands, helping her slide onto his length ever so slowly. Shuddering and smiling wickedly while she took him down to his base. A sharp moan snuck through Shep’s lips as she tensed up around his cock. She was warm, a bit tight, but god was she welcoming.  
Lucille positioned herself around him, his waist situated between her legs. She giggled, her face just inches from his, resting her chin on her hand with her elbow dug into his breast. 

“Well, you’re quite big, aren’t you? I mean I knew from the start but it’s fun to act surprised.”  
“I don’t think it’s that big.” He blushed, as she slowly began to rise off him, give her waist a quick shake as she settled back down.  
“Biggest I’ve ever had. Well, that wasn’t made of silicone.”  
“You’re… very forthcoming with that information aren’t ya?”  
The amaretto had pretty much lifted Lucille’s filter. The night wasn’t quite as romantic as she had initially hoped. But she didn’t care at this point, and neither did he. But there would always be other nights.  
“You are one of the few people I can be this open about. I mean it’s not like I didn’t ask you to make me a machine for it several months ago.” She giggled, rubbing underneath his chin with her index finger. “But now that I have you where I want you. I don’t think I need one anymore.”  
“I think the machine might last longer…”  
She tugged on his beard as she smooched him, the kiss lingering a little longer than usual, as they savored the embrace, she slowly began to raise her hips off his length, lowering them back down onto him her tempo steadily increasing. He couldn’t help but let his hands mingle their way towards her rear, running them up and down her amazing rump, aiding her yet again with her endeavors. She broke off the kiss, leaving a thin strand of saliva between the bisexual duo.  
“Yeah, but it’s not as fun as you. My love. It lacks a special somebody attached to it. Hmm.” She continued to ride up and down his cock, her juices beginning to trail down his shaft and onto his balls. Kissing him all the while, both humming contently. Shep shuddering at the sensation.  
“Mmm… Wait! As amazing as you feel, are you sure we’re uh… safe?”  
He held her in place, stopping her pace, she sat up off him, cocking her head to the side, putting her glasses back on.  
“Safe? I mean this cave is pretty safe…”  
“No no! I mean like… I know it’s a bit late, but should I use protection? I could get dressed and get some?”  
“Relax. You said you got a vasectomy forever ago, right? And even then, my chances of getting pregnant are one in a million.”  
“But what about…”  
“Shep! I trust that you're clean. You trust me to watch your sweet ass in a fight, I think you can trust me in this department, and besides. We just went toe to toe with a bunch of pissed off mercenaries and you’re worried about that? Just don’t worry about it, okay?”  
“You’re right. Sorry.” 

She fell back down on him, bracing herself on his chest. Shep sighed, his hands resting atop her buttocks. The dense couple grinned contently as the hard charger known as Lucille shimmied her hips on his dick before resuming her ride. Her lips took their rightful place on his, breathing quiet moans between kisses.  
“Fuuck…” He shuddered, fingers squishing her cheeks.  
Shep started to take some control over the situation, bucking his hips against her, alternating in a rhythmic pattern. After a minute he took complete control, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her as he fucked her. Lucy growled in pleasure as he reamed her. In his excitement he popped out of her, bringing their lovemaking to a halt. As he attempted to slide his cock back into her eager slit, she stopped him, holding up a finger as she adjusted her position. She got to her feet, squatting over him as she held his pec with her non-injured hand for balance, holding his cock with the other. Lowering herself back onto it, his eyes widened like a kid a candy store. The balls of her feet digging into the sheets as Shep helped support her ankles, holding them tight.  
“Mmph! Time to show you what you’ve been missing.”  
She regained the speed quickly as she rode him like a young colt. Taking him down to his base rapidly with no issue at all.  
“Holy shit… Lu!” He was practically dumbstruck.  
She was incredible her injuries hadn’t slowed her down at all, this wasn’t her first bedroom rodeo. As she bounced on his dick her nails began to leave deep trails across Shep’s chest, making him wail with excitement. She was spicing up the ride with a couple of wiggles on the way up and down, he was absolutely head over heels at her skill. She swelled closer and closer to a second climax as each minute passed. Both of them drenched in sweat, the beads of it dripping off her brow and nose onto Shep’s chest. Her loins quivering as her thighs began to quake, her shudders adding to the intensity as she tightened around his vein-wrapped cock.  
“Lu, you’re fuckin’ o’mazing!” He moaned, his hand reaching up towards her scarred breast, gently caressing it with tender little squeezes as their minds melted under the ecstasy. “Don’t stop! Oh God, please don’t stop.”  
Lucy couldn’t even choke out a coherent sentence with where her head was. Just incomplete words and huffs slipping through her lips.  
“Guh-Going to… Mmm Fuh! Aah! Oh shit!” Her tone quickly shifted from one of joy to one of agony, her jaw clenched as she struggled to keep balance. “OW! OW FUCK! SHIT, CHARLIE HORSE!”  
She tumbled backward off him, clutching her calf in pain, her leg spasming in pain. Shep quickly sat up and scuttled towards her, taking hold of her leg and massaging her cramped muscle, letting her leg rest on his shoulder.  
“You alright?”  
“A little better now, thanks.” She breathed a sigh of relief as she laid out on the bed. “Sorry about that! I probably should have stretched before I went to town on your dick.”  
“You’re fine, Lu.”  
“So, did you… Did you finish?” She asked meekly, glancing down at his still diamond-hard cock, coated in their fluids.  
“Mm, no. I’m still a way’s away but I can stop or just uh… take care of it myself? If you don’t mind.” “Did you finish?”  
“Eh close?” Lucille held her fingers an inch apart and gave a non-committal handwave. “Just give me a second to breathe and I’ll be ready. Whew. Hey, do you mind fetching my compressive brace and the canteen from my vest? Should be next to the dump pouch.”  
Shep practically lunged towards her plate carrier and snatched her water and knee sleeve from it handing the canteen to her and aiding her with the sleeve.  
“Thanks, Shep.” She took a hefty swig of the canteen and tightened the straps on her sleeve. “Here, take some. You got to stay hydrated when engaging in rather strenuous activities. Hehe.”  
Shep took the canteen from her, almost draining it as small streams of water went down his chin, coating his already sweat-soaked chest with water. While he finished his drink, Lucy repositioned herself on the bed, bent over shaking her butt left and right at her new flame. Looking back at Shep with a wicked grin, her head perched in her palm.  
“Ready big boy?” She bit her lip again, giggling in excitement.  
“Rarin’, But Uhm… No offense, but I thought you of all people would find being in that position a bit demeaning?”  
“If I found this demeaning would I be bent over, shaking and pointing my ass at you? Come on, give it to me!”  
“Point taken!”  
The curly-haired idiot plopped the canteen down and moseyed over to her. Shep knelt down beside her and fondled her left ass cheek with his hand, kissing his way down her back, leaving tender nibbles and little hickeys on down her back. His hand slid between her buttocks and down to her crotch, circling her clit with his fingers, she managed to suppress her moans by burying her face into the sheets, still sensitive from earlier. Shep’s mouth eventually reached her ass, he parted her cheeks before spitting on her loins, moving down towards them with his lips parted. He slowly sandwiched her clit between his lips gently pulling on it then moving up her slit with his tongue laid flat against her, licking the sweat off her taint as it grazed her asshole.  
“AH!” She jumped, recoiling in shock, immediately turning her head towards her partner.  
“Something wrong?”  
“Not that I’m opposed to what you’re doing back there but, I’m not exactly keen on doing any butt stuff on our first night.”  
He scratched his head, giggling nervously as his cheeks grew rosier.  
“Not opposed?” Amar took his place behind her, grinding his dick between her toned cheeks. “So, you’re saying I might get a shot at that in the future?”  
“Maybe! But I get a round or several with yours first. That is if you think you can take me.”  
“I’d sure as hell be willing to try. That is if we ever get the free time to even do the prep work.”  
Shep idly traced her slit with the tip of his cock as they conversed, occasionally stopping at her clit with a few quick prods.  
“I wouldn’t worry too much, rooster boy. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now quit teasing and fuck me already!”  
Amar took a tight hold of her hips just as he rammed the full length of his shaft into her, forcing a sharp moan out of the two. Lucille arched her back upwards in surprise, the sudden sensation lighting up her nerves like a red-hot poker. Giggling all the while with a small flurry of swears. His cockhead pressing against her cervix.  
“Hmph! I honestly don’t understand what you were so worried about earlier. Not up to snuff, my ass.”  
He couldn’t think of a reply, all he could do was run through the motions, slowly began gyrating his hips with his thrusts, he was a touch rusty, but it was all coming back to him like it was an instinct. A rhythmic dance almost, gripping her hips while his clapped against her, causing some rather playful crooning to leave Lucille’s lips.  
Shep braced himself on the bed with his free hand as he began to pick up speed, Vickers looking back at him with a deviant gleam in her eyes. Amar’s claws dug into the sheets, Lu took advantage of this and pinned his hand down under hers, clasping it tightly. He moved his hand from her hips down between her thighs and began playing with her clit with two of his fingers. Panting and grunting like an animal in the heat all the while. As he rubbed her, she began to tighten around his member again, forcing another whimper of pleasure out of him. His cock hitting all the right spots, almost like they were made for each other.  
“Yeah, that’s the stuff, mmm.” She pulled his hand to her mouth, kissing it and occasionally pausing to sucking on his digits. “Get closer, I want to feel your body pressed against mine. The only thing between us a thin layer of sweat.”  
Shep obliged like an obedient hound, continuing to mount her as his toned yet pillowy pectorals pressed against her shredded back. As he huffed and puffed, rutting her like a beast, she could feel his warm breath on her neck and ear, Vickers let out a deep growl as he began not-so-softly biting her neck. Another orgasm was slowly beginning to swell within their loins, heat building between the two.  
“Lucy...” He moaned, shifting between kissing and biting.  
“Unf… Hey, ease up on the marks!” She giggled, the sensation tickling her. “Only so much I can say is battle rattle before people start to ask questions.”  
“Sorry, I’ll try an’ keep em below your clavicle.”  
“But you’ve already gone and marked me up plenty, baby and you know me. I have to get mine.”  
“Oh, come on. The marks you left on my chest don’t make us even?”  
“They would if you had stopped with the nail trails on my ass. Hmm.”  
She paused for a second, winding her fingers into his locks, contemplating her next move while Shep’s hips came to a slow idle, once an idea came to mind, she kissed him, humming happily.  
“Let me flip over, I have a couple of ways I’d like to get even.”  
Shep backed off of her, letting her roll on to her back, she gave him another come hither as she spread her legs. She grabbed a nearby pillow and rested her head on it, allowing herself some much-needed lumbar support. Shep obliged her gesture as he crawled onto her, Lucille ensnaring him like Venus flytrap. Her arms and legs playfully wrapped around him as he slid back into her.  
As they formed the beast with two backs, getting back to the motions, Lucy ran her fingers into his back, clawing at his back as he began to shake the headboard with his thrusts, squeezing her with the might of his arms as he rocked the bed. As her nails practically carved a post-endgame map on his back he moaned in a combination of pleasure and agony, all the while her half metal teeth bit into his neck. It was almost like he was a chew toy to her at this point, but he didn’t mind it, not one bit, though it would be hard for him to admit it.  
He let out a handful of profanities through his gritted teeth, her hand gliding down to his firm and well-toned ass, giving it a couple of playful hard slaps before resting upon it with a squeeze.  
“Ahnn, fuck, Lu!” His legs began to shake in anticipation, he was already nearing his vinegar strokes. Lucille racing toward her stop all the while.  
Lucille took his earlobe between her lips, giving it a nibble.  
“Told you I’d get mine.”  
“Didn’t think it’d hurt this much-YEEP!”  
When Shep choked out another sentence she gave another hearty smack to his rear, the injured wing not slowing her down one bit.  
“Hehe. As much as I like your noises you should quit your bitching. I let you bite and claw me, all while I’m sitting here with several lacerations and puncture wounds.”  
“Well… Mmph, you did ask me to bite ya, I didn’t expect it’d end with me being your scratching post. It’s still so… unfamiliar? I guess? From all the buttering you were trying to- ow!” She ran her hooks into his back, raking red trails down his tender yet swollen back. “Trying to do, seemed like you were into the more uh tender side of this whole ordeal?  
“Hmm, normally I would. But all that adrenaline, the post-combat high, the painkillers, and the booze, combined with all this? It’s a rather interesting sensation and I just can’t help but indulge our wild sides.”  
Her low yet growly tone sent goosebumps across Shep’s skin, he shuddered as she tensed up around him all the while she spoke. Everything she was doing was pushing him closer and closer towards another climax. As much as he complained about all the roughhousing, he loved it. He continued his rhythmic thrusting and gyrations while she practically carved a roadmap into his back, his member throbbing in anticipation inside her, huffing and puffing as he pumped her.  
They rutted like beasts for a good several minutes, anything going on outside that room was far from their minds. The wasteland didn’t matter, nor did its frivolous mercenary and tribal wars, the conflict between the UW super-powers didn’t bother them either. It was only the two of them in this cave dorm, and they wanted to keep it that way.  
Lucille began to follow his lead, her hips mimicking and alternating his movements. Giggling as she pecked his cheeks and neck, one hand on his ass the other holding him so tightly.  
“Ahn… Fuck! I’m gonna cum!” His toes curled in anticipation, his cockhead pressing against her cervix just right, the pounding and sensation drove Lucy up the wall.  
Her legs wrapped and coiled around him, her eager loins practically squeezing the precum out of his cock. She let out another series of sharp moans as she started to seize up around his member.  
“UNF! Yes! Please, Shep! Oh, god above or god below, yes! Do it-Mmph! In me! Please, Amar!”  
As he twitched and shot off inside her, his eyes rolled up, his mind-melting under the intensity, his dick throbbing as her loins squeezed it, wringing another load out of his thick cock while she leg locked him, involuntarily death rolling him to the side like a hungry alligator. Lucille’s mind was off on another planet with the orgasmic bliss as he filled her up. Their combined fluids seeping onto her bedsheets, their bodies wrapped around each other like kudzu vines, his beard brushing against her neck, it felt like bore brush wire, but she didn’t care. The post-coital bliss was drowning it out, it wasn’t quite the night they wanted but it was they needed.  
They laid there in their sweat and fluid drenched delight, their haggard breathing returning to a normal pace. They laid still and almost motionless except for the occasional nuzzle and idle caress. Unfortunately, Shep’s bliss was ruined by the reminder of someone catching him in Lu’s dorms. Particularly by Macy, Lu’s shorter but wiser twin. He struggled to leave her embrace, her grip like a thumb trap, growing tighter.  
“Mmm, where are you going?” She asked, pouting her lips, looking up at him like a hungry cat. “Please don’t leave.”  
“But what about your sister? She might…”  
Lu cut him off pulling the sheets closer and over them. “She won’t mind! I promise.”  
“But what if someone else catches wind? You know as well as I do this kind of stuff isn’t allowed.”  
“I don’t care about that anymore, Shep.”  
“But what will…”  
“Shep, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. It’s been too long since I’ve had something like this.” She parted his hair to the side, pushing it away from his face, her eyes locking with his. “Just… please stay with me tonight. Please…”  
Shep didn’t have much else to say. He couldn’t bring himself to say no to her, especially when she was this vulnerable. All the adrenaline had left their systems, the ferocity was gone. Everything was laid out bare.  
Shep let out a shaky sigh of relief. Laying back down and giving way to her love. He was wrapped around her finger and under her thumb, and he loved it. Lucy entombed them with a couple of layers of heavy blankets. She exhaled in comfort as her lids began to grow heavy. It had been a long night, but all in all a good night. Even with the perforated wing. She had finally drifted off to sleep. Her face buried in Shep’s pectorals. He couldn’t help but smile as he joined her in slumber. 

The morning came quicker than they’d like. Lu’s internal clock and responsibility cause her to shoot awake only after a few hours. No one sleeps in with Cemetery Wind, as much as they’d like to. Shep wasn’t exactly eager to wake either but he was beginning to synchronize with his partner. Each of them with slight headaches, groaning ever so softly. They clambered all over each other like baby kittens, their hair a bedraggled tangled mess. Macy nowhere to be seen.  
“Ah! Morning, Shep.”  
“Ugh, fuck. Wish I hadn’t slogged back so much liquid confidence. My head is throbbing.” He began rubbing his temples, peeling the sheets off him, his fingers gliding across all her marks, wincing at the touch.  
“Do you… Regret it?”  
“Not at all. Worth the hurt, especially for you.”  
“Well, good.” She parted his hair to the side, combing it back with her fingers.  
Shep did the same, framing her face with her maroon bangs, running the pad of his thumb down her lightning-shaped scars upon her cheeks. Her hand wrapped around the back of his neck, drawing him in. Their lips met again, pressing against each other in a soft warm embrace. She slowly pulled off from him, a thin strand of spit between the two. She giggled and flicked it off. She hugged him once more. She unraveled the sheets and scooched towards the end of the bed. Grabbing a loose hair tie and her glasses from the nightstand.  
“As much I’d love to stay and lay with you, I need to check and make sure my sister’s alright. Then, of course, another day of weapons craft with the local populace.” She groaned, shuddering the thought of working with the rather not so bright militia. “Then work with Selena on distributing the goods. No rest for us, unfortunately.”  
“Maybe I could help? Tag along and try and make your day a little less miserable. If-If you’d like that is.”  
“I would, actually. We could hit the showers, save some water, then get breakfast?”  
“Sounds like a plan. Hey, with the recent injury maybe you can focus on one-handed manipulations? Heh.”  
“You laugh, but that’s not a bad idea. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for these folks to learn it. Caleb will bitch and moan about it again, but he can lick the sweat off my taint. He may act like he’s the king of the castle around here. But it’s us who brought him to power in the first place.”  
“If you don’t like him that much then why not exile him?”  
“Because Cemetery Wind constantly rotates and they need a consistent leader, and as much as Blake, Ronnie, and I have considered putting a wadcutter in his temple. At least it’s not like all the other coups.”  
Lucille stood to her feet, wondering towards the pile of clothes from last night’s lovemaking session. Picking apart Shep and her clothes, She piled her jacket on her nightstand, she pulled another pair of her usual gray combat pants from her drawers, along with a black button-up and white tank top. Stacking them neatly alongside her boots and a clean towel. Whilst digging around in her dresser she leered back at Shep, goofily digging her teeth into her lips in a silly grin as she pulled a black thong out and quickly pulled the elastic, tossing it on her clothes as she slid on a pair of sweat pants, shower flip flops, and an old faded band tee.  
“No offense but uhh… As much as I’d love to watch your fantastic ass walk in front of me in a g-string but uh… Ain’t ya gonna be a Lil’ cold under there?”  
“Well, we have the standing space heaters near the kill house. Plus, it’s good for mobility and all that shit. Plus, who doesn’t want to feel hot now and then?”  
“Can’t argue with that. But uh. I’ll meet you at the shower, I’ll go look for your sister, don’t worry.”  
“You sure? I don’t mind. She is my sister, after all.”  
“No! Besides my room is closer to the lounge, she might have conked out there?”  
“Well, thank you! See you at the showers, loverboy.” Before parting she left a short but loving kiss on his cheek. “… So, will you please say hello, to the folks that I know, tell them I won’t be long, they’ll be happy to know, that as you saw me go. I was singing this song!”  
He giggled under his breath as he watched her trot out the door, singing like a cheery songbird. Lucille seemed chipper than usual, happy even. Her mood was better than ever.  
Shep he just slid on his cargo pants, boxers, and sweater from last night, carrying his boots with them out of laziness.  
Even at the ass crack of dawn Cemetery Wind was a hive of activity. Not that it was crowded but everyone was up and about before the sun was, their Dining Facility was filled with guys getting their morning coffee and Rip-its! The armory loaded with guys covered in body armor from the 21st century alongside 2010’s high cut helmets. Every inch of their bodies covered up, for both cold weather and identity protection. Those who weren’t upstairs were in the motor pool, working on cars or getting ready to run actual ops.  
Shep did his best to sneak past them on his way towards the lounge. He crept into the doorway, panning around. There she was. Macy laid there on the couch with pillows around her head.  
“You alright, Macy?” Shep asked, leaning over her.  
“Ugh, fuck! My head feels like it’s going to explode. How the hell do these jack asses persist on so little sleep? Go out and get seven shades of fucked up one night and wake up fine and dandy six hours later!”  
“You’re preaching to the choir.”  
“Yeah… So, what do you want?”  
“Eh, your sister just wanted me to check on you. That’s all.” Just as he was about to pop out her bubble she quickly sat up and tugged on his belt.  
“Speaking of my sister. I came home last night only to see the door locked, and I heard the faint sound of synth-wave and heavy spring creaking. Yet you weren’t in your bunk that night. Curious.”  
His face became flush, he began to shake at these accusatory remarks. He struggled to think of an excuse, he cleared his throat in a rather obvious way.  
“I… Couldn’t sleep that night. The adrenaline was still in my system after the fight. Still shaking from it. Went out on a walk.”  
“Mmhmm. Must be some walk.” She gave him a shit-eating grin as he turned towards her, back against the wall.  
“What? Listen, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but can you stop with the accusations?”  
“Shep. Believe it or not, I’m not as dense as my sister. I can put two and two together. Now, I don’t want the details of what happened that night but… I know.”  
“What are you trying to say? Do you want me to stop seeing, Lucy? What are you trying to say?”  
“No, quite the contrary. Lu is louder than she thinks. I haven’t heard her sing like that in forever. It makes me glad to see her like this. Whatever you might have said to her, or shown her. Thank you.”  
“Whew. For a second I thought you might…”  
Before he could choke out another sentence. Macy grabbed him by the collar and drug him in close. Face to Face.  
“But know this! If you cheat on her, fuck with her, or mess with her feelings and emotions in any shape or form. You’re fertilizer! Got it?!”  
“Yeah! Yeah! Noted!” Macy let go of his collar with a smile, brushing her hand off on her pant leg. “Christ almighty! And I thought she was the terrifying one.”  
“Good. Glad you understand. Now run along.”  
Shep couldn’t get out her sight fast enough. He made a beeline past the couple dozen pipe hitters in CW HQ, stopping by his bland room to pick up a change of clothes. The burly meathead slunk into the showers and shut the door behind him. The showers were shoddily tied on the floor with half-decent drainage systems. The ceilings were a bit higher than most of the caves, perhaps it was there before Blake’s arrival. In the center near the benches and lockers was a small BFF standing enviro-heater, the center glowing red with warmth. There was a line of stalls across from the lockers and benches, some with plastic hinge doors, others with curtains, drapes, or beads. Off in the far corner was a rather large almost industrial-sized water heater, lord only knows how they brought that in there. A minimalistic but very functional set up.  
He heard running water and saw steam creeping from one of the stalls. But despite that, it was almost entirely empty. Shep tiptoed towards the stall, across from the active shower stall was a bench with a neatly folded set of clothes alongside a set of slightly worn DEVGRU hiking boots and a Task Force Orange jacket. He sat his down beside them. Anxiously looking towards the one active stall, he moved towards it as the door slowly crept open.  
“Hmm. Took you long enough. Now get in here, I was serious about the whole saving water type deal.”  
There she was, the water cascading down her toned muscles showcased her well-endowed physique, her abs glistening under the water, her usual poofy mane, all wet and straight as it rested on her shoulders. Shep practically jumped out of his clothes at her, slipping and landing chest first on the cold hard tile. Lucille’s eyes widened in shock, her cocky smile turning into a concerned frown as she raced over to him.  
“Are you alright, Shep?”  
“Unf. Yeah, didn’t realize how slippery the tile was.” She peeled him off the floor and guided him into the stall, latching the door shut behind the two as they began to clean last night’s grime.  
They were too sore to begin another round of shenanigans, sore from last nights job and the post fight celebrations. Lucille did her best to keep her wounds dry. They struggled to get around each other in the cramped stall, trying to pass each other toiletries.  
An hour of awkwardly shifting around the shower stall in attempt to wash away the scent of cordite and sweat, passes. The room fills with steam and fogs the dirty mirrors, leaving a thin layer of condensation on the benches and lockers. Lu grabbed a couple towels off the rack, tossing one to Shep as she began drying her toned pale body off. Shep began toweling off his face and mane, drying off his well-groomed self. When he got a glimpse of her he couldn’t help but stop himself. Still in absolute shock that they were officially an item now.  
“Something wrong?” She looked back at him, sliding on her undies.  
“Guess I’m still in denial that this is even happening.”  
“Heh.” She plopped down beside him with a content sigh, leaning against his naked body. “Well, I would be lying if I wasn’t a touch befuddled myself, but I couldn’t be happier, honestly.”  
“Didn’t think blood loss and firefights would be that much of an aphrodisiac.”  
“The mind is a complex little thing. But let’s not dig too deep into it. That op isn’t over yet, and I just want to remember the better part of that evening. Not having to smoke check several vehicles.”  
The two just sat around contently for a while. Basking in the heat of the steam and the afterglow from last night. There was going to be more nights ahead, lots more. They finally had something to cling to and at the moment, it was more than enough. 

The end.


End file.
